A demon let loose
by Shinobi-Shurikenz
Summary: A long oneshot. . . about Kyuubi, Naruto and the effects the combination had on Konoha


**A/N. . .well, this kinda came to me outta nowhere so I don't know why the hell it's so long. . . . .X.X but oh well. . . . . . ENJOY!! **

_A Demon Let Loose_

Hatake Kakashi stood with his arms crossed, staring down at the body with his one uncovered eye. What could be seen of his face showed no emotion, but if the rest of his face had been uncovered, it would have still been blank. Around him, ANBU members swarmed through the room, searching for any clue as to who, or what might have done this. The corpse was that of a 32-year old man. He hadn't been a ninja or anything like that, he had just run a small grocery store. But Kakashi didn't care about the man's past. This was just the latest in a series of attacks all marked by the same slashes and burns. What Kakashi was interested in was the wounds themselves. The slashes looked like they could be from some animal, but the burns weren't ordinary at all. They had been caused by chakra. Kakashi sighed. He knew what this meant. There had to be a murderer in the village.

Gai walked up to the silver-haired ninja without his usual spunk. In fact he seemed quite tired, as if these murders had sucked all the energy out of him. "The wife and son are downstairs. Dead as well, in case you were wondering." Kakashi waved his hand. "I saw the blood when a came in." Gai didn't like how he seemed to treat the situation so casually, but he knew better than to think Kakashi was really this apathetic. The ninja had a good poker face, but Gai could recognize pain in his friend when he saw it. "We'll find him, my friend. We will find him, and we'll stop him." Kakashi nodded to what Gai said, but then answered, "I'm just not sure that we can, Gai."

The next evening, in the Hokage's office

Tsunade looked around at the chuunin and jounin gathered in her office. They were all talking amongst themselves, whispering things they had heard or things they suspected. The Fifth sighed. Even the best ninjas in the village weren't above gossip, albeit gossip about a murderer. She pounded her fist on the desk hard to make everyone stop talking. They did. Tsunade cleared her throat, then began. "Kakashi, please tell us what you have to report. Kakashi stepped forward, facing the Hokage.

"This attack seems basically like all the other ones. Victims slashed up and burnt, nothing using, no one heard or saw anything. Nothing else about this incident. On the whole, the murders have no detectable pattern, and most of the victims weren't even shinobi. Kakashi stepped back. Still no one spoke. Tsunade stood up again.

"This is the 11th attack like this we've had. 23 people are dead. That includes 2 chuunins and a jounin. And know one knows anything about any of it." The Hokage slammed her fist on the desk again, and the room shook. "I want answers, and I want them as soon as possible. There is a serial killer in Konoha, and I, for one, will not stand for it."

One of the shinobi stepped forward. She seemed nervous, speaking in front of the legendary Fifth Hokage, but Tsunade motioned for her to speak. "I-I don't really want to bring this up, but I'm sure all of us here are thinking it. We have seen burns like this before, when-" Tsunade slammed her fist so hard the desk split in two, sending papers flying everywhere. Everyone looked shocked and scared.

"If you finish that sentence, I swear, I'll throw you in prison myself! I don't want any of you leaving this room with any preconceived notion in your mind. Any of you. This will be an unbiased search. Got it?!"

"Yes ma'am!" the ninjas said in unison. "Then go!" she shouted, and a second later her office was empty except for Tonton. "Why on earth did I take this job?" she asked the pig. Walking to the window, Tsunade looked out into the night. "Naruto..."

About the same time, outside of Naruto's apartment building

Hinata was pacing back and forth as she thought a battle of wills in her head, and in her heart. Occasionally she muttered something like, "But he needs to know," or, "I can't… I just can't," but for the most part she was silent. The muttering and occasional splash from a puddle was completely drowned out by the rain anyways. Hinata was walking under a balcony. Naruto's balcony, although she didn't realize it. She was far to preoccupied with her thoughts. 'We've gone on missions together, it's not like we barely know each other any more.' 'But he doesn't seem interested in me at all.' 'Maybe if I told him it was me at the waterfall…' 'But then he'd realize that he'd seen me naked. I don't know if I could live through that.' 'He did say that I'd make a good wife.' 'But doesn't he like Sakura-chan?' Her internal battle, which she had been fighting for about an hour now, was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Hinata immediately looked around to the entrance to the apartment building, half-hoping, half-dreading to see Naruto there. But there was no one. Then Hinata realized that the sound had come from an apartment a few stories up. She immediately pressed her body into the shadows, and hid her presence, because it would be embarrassing to be caught outside Naruto-kun's home. 

Hinata heard someone jump, then suddenly they landed on the street, not to far away from her. At first, she thought she might faint from fear. Then, she realized that it was Naruto, and almost fainted from embarrassment. He must have noticed her! Of course he would. He was an incredible ninja. She was just about to apologize when Naruto opened his mouth and laughed. But it was not the sweet, kindly laugh of the Naruto-kun that Hinata had fallen in love with. It was the laugh of a twisted, terrifying force that could not be, could never be Naruto. Suddenly Hinata felt an amazingly overpowering feeling of intent to kill, so much so that she fell to the ground, but the noise was lost between the rain and the laughter. At the same time, a bright red chakra formed around Naruto's body. It looked like more chakra than Hinata thought most people could possibly have inside of them, and it was eminating from Naruto as excess. Hinata wanted to cry out, wanted to yell, "Naruto! Please be Naruto!" But she couldn't move a single muscle. Naruto-kun, no not Naruto-kun, this was someone, or something else, the Naruto-thing looked up the street, and then down the street, and then leapt into the air. Hinata didn't see him come down again, but she felt the murderous intent slowly fade away. The Naruto-thing had moved away. 

For the longest time, Hinata sat on the wet ground, and she wasn't sure if it was rain or tears that were running down her face. Finally, after enough time had gone by for Hinata to collect herself and her feelings, (Although she had no idea how much time that was) She thought to herself, 'I've got to tell someone. Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Kurenai-sensei! Hokage-sama! Someone, anyone!' Hinata managed to stand, the suddenly ran off into the night, searching for help.

Hinata was sitting down on a chair just outside the Hokage's office. Around her shinobi were running into and out of the office, or else just right past it. It was a flurry of activity, but Hinata didn't notice at all. She kept hearing that horrifying laugh, and seeing Naruto emanating that red chakra. He had seemed so… evil. It scared Hinata to think that Naruto could be like this. 'No!' She thought to herself, for the hundredth time, 'Naruto-kun can't be like that. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't Naruto-kun. It was something else. It has to be something else…'

Suddenly Hinata realized the was someone standing in front of her. She looked up and saw the face of the Fifth Hokage, peering at her intently. She put an arm around Hinata's shoulders and pulled her up out of her seat. Then she walked her into the office. Hinata just walked where she was being lead, barely caring, vaguely remembering the Hokage needed to be accorded some respect. Kurenai was already in the office, leaning against the wall. She looked up when they came in. The Fifth sat Hinata down on a chair and walked behind her desk, to look out the window.

"He haven't found him yet." Hinata looked up in confusion, then realized that the Hokage was talking about Naruto. She was partially relieved, and partially disappointed. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to you right when you came to me Hinata, but the news you delivered had to be acted on immediately." Hinata nodded, despite the fact that the Hokage was still turned around. "Because you have already seen it, I am going to tell you what Naruto was doing." "Not Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried. Tsunade turned around in surprise. At first she looked annoyed because she thought Hinata was contradicting her, but then she saw the expression on Hinata's face.

"No, you're right. What you saw wasn't Naruto. What you saw was… a Demon. It was the Nine-tails demon that attacked Konoha 15 years ago. The Kyuubi." Hinata was shocked. "But, wasn't it defeated? By the Forth Hokage?" Tsunade nodded. "When it was, the Forth sealed it inside Naruto, so that he could use it's power to protect this village. But now, it seems, it is not fully sealed. Somehow, it is able to take control of Naruto's body."

Hinata just sat there, trying to take it all in. Members of her family had been killed in the attack, but it had been before she was born. "But… Naruto is still Naruto… isn't he?" Tsunade smiled. Many of the adults in the village still hated Naruto because of the demon within him, but here, right before her eyes, his peers would go to the effort of considering Naruto a separate person from the Nine-tails. "Yes, the Naruto you know still exists, and the body you saw tonight was his, but he was not in control of it." Hinata sighed, relieved. Naruto-kun was still in there somewhere. "But… but how was the demon able to take control of Naruto-kun? If it was sealed like you said." Tsunade shook her head. "I don't know, Hinata, I don't know. But I do know that we have to stop him right away, and by any means necessary." Hinata looked at the Hokage's face and when she saw the grim determination there, she was frightened. "But Naruto-kun will be alright, right?" The Fifth Hokage strode back to the window, and said nothing for a time, not speaking the answer, but leaving little doubt as to what it was. Finally she said, "Kurenai. Take your student home." Hinata stood up, and looked like she wanted to say something else, but didn't. Kurenai guided her out the door of the office, and towards the stairs. Looking outside, Hinata saw that it was still raining hard. "Kurenai-sensei, will they really… will they…" Hinata couldn't seem to speak the words, but Kurenai understood them anyway. "They will do everything they can to keep Naruto alive. Don't worry Hinata, it'll be alright."

A few minutes later, on a rooftop not far from the Ramen store

"You knew it was him, didn't you?" Kakashi shrugged. "Like Yuya said, we were al thinking it." Gai crossed his arms. "But you even said you weren't sure if we could defeat it. You knew the Kyuubi had found a way to take control." Kakashi shrugged again. "I guess we're about to find out if I'm right or not." Gai turned to look at the building Kakashi was watching. A figure was standing on the windowsill, bathed in a faint red glow. "I've seen that glow before." Kakashi stated. "At the Chuunin Exam." Gai shook his head. He had missed Naruto's fight. "Only the Chakra of the Nine-tails looks like that." Gai looked at Kakashi, who returned is glance. They both nodded once, then jumped into the air.

Naruto jumped to the roof of another building when suddenly, on the other side of it, Kakashi and Gai appeared. Naruto straightened his hunched form, which made him look more human. Kakashi spoke first. "Uzumaki Naruto. We have a warrant for your arrest. If you come along peacefully, we will not have to use force." Gai stood beside him with his arms crossed. "Please Naruto," Kakashi finished, "come with us." For a long moment, nothing happened. The rain came down hard as they stared at each other. Kakashi could see Naruto's eyes, could see that they were red with slits for pupils. Then suddenly, Naruto began to laugh. I t was a horrible, wretched sound, that even cause Kakashi and Gai to flinch. Then Naruto spoke. Only the voice that came out wasn't Naruto's.

"You petty fools think you can take me away by force? The strongest shinobi this village has ever produced could do nothing more that look me away inside this kid. And neither of you are even close to his power." Kakashi was worried. He had been hoping that Naruto might be able to come to his senses, but clearly the Kyuubi had complete control of him. "However, I have seen you both through this kids eyes. You especially." Naruto looked at Kakashi. "You have helped to make him a strong vessel for me to be carried in. I'll admit that he isn't the best, but he has potential. Until I escape from this body, I need it to be strong." Kakashi pulled a scroll out of his vest. "I will kill the boy to stop you, demon." Gai looked at Kakashi with horror. He couldn't believe the jounin was willing to kill one of his own students. But then, he realized, Naruto wasn't likely to be alive for much longer one way or the other. And many lives could be save this way. Kakashi's emotionless reasoning was, as usual, right.

The laugh came again. "Very well. I will toy with you two. I should warn you, however, that I don't have much time left, so I will have to kill yoo quickly." Kakashi's eye widened. 'Time left? Until what? What could possibly rush the demon fox of legend?' Naruto fell back down to his hands and feet. Kakashi readied his scroll. Gai hunched down. The rain continued to poor.

Naruto launched himself towards the two jounins, moving at and incredible speed. Gai hurled himself at Naruto in turn. Kakashi whipped open his scroll, bit his thumb, and drew a line of blood down it. Gai launched into a flying kick, but Naruto easily ducked it, then kicked Gai in the back to push him forward even more. Kakashi put his hand on the ground, and it began glowing with a yellow light. Naruto jumped into the air, but Kakashi stood patiently waiting for him. At the last second, he shoved his glowing hand forward in a palm thrust and hit… nothing. Naruto simply wasn't there anymore. Suddenly he felt something impact his back, hard. He went flying, towards the opposite end of the building. But Gai was waiting. He grabbed Kakashi's vest, spun around and threw it straight back at Naruto. Kakashi once again shoved his palm towards Naruto, but again the boy dodged it. Then it grabbed Kakashi by the foot, and swung him up, and then down onto the roof of the building. Kakashi went through the roof and the top floor, but then landed on a table which cushioned the impact enough for stop him going through the next floor. Kakashi slowly opened his eyes to see Naruto crouched on his chest. He was smiling an inhuman smile. It made Kakashi shudder. "Die, ninja." Naruto raised hid fist, but suddenly two green-clothed arms wrapped around Naruto's orange ones. "Now, Kakashi!" Gai yelled, straining with all his might to keep Naruto under control, but to no avail. Naruto broke free, sending Gai back into the wall, but now it was too late to dodge Kakashi's thrust. The moment it hit, Naruto stopped moving. Kakashi pushed The boy off of him. Even when he hit the ground, Naruto didn't move, his stance didn't change in the slightest. Kakashi stood up.

"Those scrolls were given to us by Jiraiya shortly after the Chuunin Exam, when he removed the elemental seal from Naruto's body." Kakashi refused to call it the Nine-tails' body. "'Just in case,' he said. He probably suspected something like this could happen. I was just surprised at the amount of fore-thought he showed by doing it." Gai pulled himself out of the wall, and though he was battered and bruised, he was smiling. "Jiraiya-sama may have passed the springtime of his youth, but he still does youthful things from time to time." Gai nodded to himself. "Yeah, whatever." Kakashi waved his hand. "The point is, you can no longer move. You can breathe, blink, but that is all. You won't even be able to make the slightest sound other than a brief moan." Kakashi went over to Naruto's body to pick it up. 

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, ninja."

Kakashi stopped cold; Gai stopped smiling. Naruto had spoken. And now he was getting up again! "I will admit, I didn't expect you to have such powerful jutsu, but it doesn't matter. Did you really think that your scroll could hold me, as the Fourth's technique did? You dishonor his memory." Naruto looked around him, no longer interested in Kakashi or Gai. "It does seem, however, that you have kept me busy long enough to stay alive. I must leave now, but I can promise you, I will be back." Before Kakashi or Gai could do anything, Naruto was gone.

The next morning

Shikamaru was walking with Chouji and Kiba towards Naruto's apartment. Akamaru was running around them, first in front, then behind, then off to sniff something, then back in front, chasing a butterfly. Kiba smiled as he watched his friend play and run around joyfully. Chouji was eating a bag of chips. Shikamaru sighed. "How did I get talked into this again?" Kiba laughed. "As a chuunin, it is your responsibility to become stronger and stronger, in order to protect your subordinates." He said. Shikamaru looked up at the sky. "I don't mind training, I know that I need to get stronger, but why all together?" "It's more fun that way. Plus, you can train with other people in ways you can't alone." Kiba said as he caught Akamaru, who had jumped at his chest. Shikamaru sighed again. "But training with Naruto is so troublesome…" 

The same time, just outside the village

Shino was standing very still. His eyes might have been closed, but it was impossible to tell from the front. He was concentrating his chakra, sending messages to the insects inhabiting his body, trying to get them to move as quickly as possible, when he felt a disturbance. "Hinata." It was not a question. Hinata walked towards him, looking at the ground around him, at the bugs that were swarming. After being with Shino on some many missions, she wasn't really disturbed by the bugs at all. "Shino-kun, you a very powerful ninja, right? For a genin?" Shino shifted his head so he was looking right at her. "Yes." There was no attempt to be modest about it, but it wasn't conceited either. It was just the truth. "If the Hokage ordered you to kill someone for the safety of the village, would you do it?" Shino looked at Hinata for a moment, then said again, "Yes." Hinata didn't look right at his face now. "What if it was a very close friend, someone who you cared very much for, and you knew they didn't want to do it, but something else was forcing them too." Shino waited even longer before answering this time, but when he did, it was not what Hinata expected. "Is this about the murders?" Hinata looked at Shino in surprise. Shino took a step towards her. "Do you know something, Hinata? You need to tell Hokage-sama right away." Hinata put up her hands, in an attempt to slow Shino down, both figuratively and literally. "I-It's okay Shino, it's not about the murders. It's about… friendship." Hinata didn't know how to elaborate after that. "About what it will take to betray a friend?" Shino asked. Hinata nodded. "Even if you know it's what needs to be done." she added.

"The solution is obvious. As the person you care for is being used, they are not the real source of the problem. You must find the source of the problem, and destroy it." Hinata looked back at Shino, then she smiled cheerfully. "Thanks, Shino-kun. You always have such good advice." Hinata started to walk away, but the Shino spoke again. "There are some situations, however, when even getting rid or the source is not enough. You may indeed have to kill a friend, if it comes down to it. If you aren't able to do it, then the problem continues, and now you're to blame as well, because you could have stopped it." Hinata stood still, then felt a tear run down her face. 'I could never kill Naruto-kun. But what if that thing inside him… What if the Kyuubi were to try to kill me?' Hinata continued to walk, but now her pace was slow and somber. 

Outside the Hyuuga residence

"NEJI-SAN! I challenge you to a battle!" Neji turned around to se Lee jumping out of a tree onto the ground in front of him. "Lee, how long have you been in that tree?" Lee ignored the question and ran up the Neji, stopping short suddenly about two feet away. "Do you accept my challenge? Or will you sulk away like a coward?" A vein appeared in Neji's forehead, but he didn't allow himself to be swayed. "Lee, I have beaten you ever time we've fought. I know your style perfectly. I can get better training fighting with Hinata than with you." Lee jumped back about a foot. "You would dare to insult a young lady with such a noble heart as Hinata-chan? And she is your own cousin!" "She's way below my level right now – not," he added, "that she isn't improving. That's just how it is." Lee looked ready to explode. "Neji, I challenge you to a battle to protect the honor of Hinata-chan and every other beautiful and noble woman you have ever wronged!" Neji was getting quite annoyed. "I haven't wronged anybody, so just-" "THEN PROVE IT!" Lee cried. "This will not be a normal battle, however. I challenge you to a," Lee's eye gleamed, "Super-Mega-Battle of the Century!" There was silence for a moment, and then Neji said, "Lee, please stop talking now." Lee fell over. "Even if I wanted to fight you, I don't have the time. I promised Tenten that I'd practice with her today, and she'll be mad if I'm not there on time." Lee got up quickly. "It's not like you to help Tenten train in your spare time." Neji nodded. "But that murder on the loose, the one they're trying to track down, he killed a jounin. Normal ninja skills don't seem effective against him. And with all the scratch marks, it's obvious the murderer is a close combat fighter. Tenten wants me to help her with taijutsu training, just incase she gets caught off guard, without a weapon. Lee's jaw dropped. "Why would she ask you? I'm a master of taijutsu! She should be asking me!" Neji raised an eyebrow. "Except that every time we battle, I beat you." "That's different!" Lee cried. "You can use Byakugan and Rokujuyon! She can't!" Neji shrugged and kept walking. Lee ran to catch up with him. "I'll go too, and we can see which one of us is a better teacher!" Neji sighed. "Really Lee, I don't care." Suddenly Lee smiled his huge smile. "Neji-san?" "What?" "I'LL RACE YOU THERE!!!"

Outside the village

Hinata was walking aimlessly now. Shino's words echoed in her mind. You may indeed have to kill a friend, if it comes down to it. "I will not kill Naruto-kun. Even if I have the chance, I won't." If you aren't able to do it, then the problem continues, and now you're to blame as well, because you could have stopped it. "But I know that Naruto-kun can be saved. As long as there's anything left of him, he can overcome the Kyuubi. He just needs help. Hokage-sama could help him. She could bring him back to normal." Setting this as her goal, she set off, back towards the village. She had tried to get to Naruto's apartment earlier that day, but ANBU had stopped her from coming into the building. But looking at the village, she could still see ninjas jumping along the wall. If they were still searching, that meant he was still out there somewhere. 

Splash!

Hinata spun around to see what had made the noise. At first, see couldn't see anything, so she used her Byakugan. She searched for a few moments before…. "Naruto-kun!?" She could see him, floating in a lake not very far away. At first she started walking towards him, then she realized that he would only be wearing swim shorts. She stopped short and cancelled her Byakugan. For a minute or two, Hinata was unsure about what to do, but finally she made up her mind that she had to go to him. He needed her help. She got close to wear the trees ended and hid behind one. She could see Naruto playing some sort of game, probably just invented, with some shadow clones of himself. She couldn't tell which was the real one, but none of them were glowing with red chakra. That was a good sign. Hinata watched the Narutos swimming around and playing quite contentedly for some time, until finally the clones disappeared. Naruto climbed out onto the shore of the lake, and shook himself off dog style. Hinata giggled. This reminded her of the days when she only knew Naruto from watching him, back before the Chuunin Exam. She realized that she wasn't sure whether she preferred watching Naruto, or interacting with Naruto, but then she remembered the time they had fought the giant bee. Afterwards, Naruto had called her awesome, and she remembered smiling and leaning her face against his arm. The memory made her blush, but it also made her realize that she had changed since interacting with Naruto, and it seemed to be a change for the better.

Naruto had put on his shirt, pants, and shoes, and had tied his jacket around his waist. He put his hands in his hair and shook it out a bit more, then turned towards the village and began walking. It was then that Hinata realized that she was directly in between Naruto and the entrance to the village. She started to panic. Naruto was getting closer every second, walking along humming to himself. Hinata jumped away as quickly as she could, but not very quietly. Naruto turned fast to where she had been. "Hey, who's there!" Hinata landed in a tree not too far away. Naruto heard the landing and jumped towards her. Hinata panicked completely and tried to escape as fast as she could. Naruto followed her as fast as he could. There speed was about even, but Hinata was being careless in her panic. She planted her foot on the next branch, but when she pushed off again, her foot slipped. Instead of flying forwards, she was flying towards the ground below her targeted branch. When she hit the ground, she curled her body into a ball to minimize the damage. She rolled up against a tree and lay there, leaning her back against the trunk, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Above her, she heard Naruto stop. She hoped he hadn't spotted her. Unfortunately, Naruto jumped down to the ground in front of Hinata, looking at her quizzically.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto was visibly confused. He eyes were very squinted as he looked at her. "Were you spying on me?" Hinata tried to say something, but all that came out was, "Uh… I-er… um…" Naruto apparently decided that this was a yes. "Why were you doing that?" Hinata decided, while taking a few calming breathes, that it would be best to tell only part of the truth. "Naruto-kun… I… I came here to tell you that…" Naruto walked closer to Hinata and squatted down in front of her. His closeness did not go unnoticed by Hinata. "I can't quite tell what you're saying Hinata, could you speak up?" Hinata was beginning to blush. "I-I came looking for you, Naruto-kun." Naruto's eyes opened. "Why did you come looking for me?" About a hundred answers flew threw Hinata's mind, and she wanted to say every one of them, but she had to hold them in. She would probably faint if she tried to say them anyway. "You're in big trouble, Naruto-kun. You're not safe anymore."

The Bridge (Where Kakashi meets with his team sometimes)

Sakura was leaning her elbows on the railing looking down into the water, although she was obviously seeing something else. Ino was leaning against the railing, but she had her back on it, and was looking up at the sky. "So, why are we here again?" Ino asked, faintly annoyed. "This was the last place where I thought I might be able to find him. I've checked everywhere else, the ramen store, the training grounds, even the hospital, but I have no idea where he is." Ino looked at Sakura like she was crazy. "First off, why would you want to find that idiot? And second, why not try checking his house?" Sakura sighed. "He spends as little time as possible at home. It's not like it really has anything for him. His family is his friends." Ino looked back up at the sky. 'That's right. Poor Naruto…' 

"Yo." Ino looked around to see Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba walk onto the bridge, with Akamaru following. "What're you all doing here?" Ino asked. Shikamaru spoke again. "We were just at Naruto's place, looking for him." Sakura turned her head hopefully. "Was he there?" Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't know, but there was a bunch of ANBU people there. Wouldn't let us in the building." Sakura pushed herself away from the railing. "Is Naruto okay?" Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know." Kiba picked up Akamaru and placed him on his head. "The whole apartment building is blocked off, so there's no reason to believe that it has to do with Naruto. More likely than not, he's already down at the training fields, waiting for us." Sakura shook her head. "We were down there a while ago, and he wasn't there." Chouji stuck his hand in the bag of chips, but then pulled it out empty. "Maybe," he said, with a gleam in his eye, "he went to eat ramen!" Sakura shook her head. "We checked there, too." But Chouji was undaunted. "I better go double check." he said, beginning to walk away. "Chouji," Shikamaru said, "If you help us find Naruto, I'll treat you to ramen myself." Chouji stopped walking, then turned around and quickly walked back to the group. "Okay!" he said. "I still want to go check the training field. Just in case." Kiba nodded his head in that direction. Shikamaru nodded. "We'll go there first, and see what happens."

The Hokage's office

All the shinobi from last night were once again stuffed into the Fifth's office, plus some more. No one dared to get to close to Tsunade's desk, though. She was in an obviously bad mood. There was very little talking this time, and it was all done quietly. Finally Tsunade stood up. "I'm sure that by this point you have all heard about what happened to Kakashi and Gai. I'm also sure that you'll be happy to know that they only sustained minor injuries, and will both be out of hospital in a short period of time." There were a few sighs and words of relief, before silence again descended on the ninjas. "Unfortunately, the scrolls that Jiraiya left us have been proven ineffective. That cancels them out as an option. However, during the period of time in which the murders took place, Naruto still acted quite normal when we all saw him. The added fact that all the murders take place during the night leads myself and my collaborators to believe that the Kyuubi can only take control of Naruto under a certain set of circumstances. We suspected that the Kyuubi can take control of Naruto's body when he is asleep." She paused a moment to let it sink in. "Now, you're orders are these. Find Naruto. As soon as you find him, call for reinforcements. Avoid engaging if possible until they arrive. Any technique or poison used in him will wear off momentarily, so here is what you have to do." Tsunade leaned down on the desk. "Wait until Uzumaki Naruto is in control. Stay away from Kyuubi Naruto. Once Uzumaki is in control, capture him and bring him back here. Explain the situation to him if you think you have time, but the priority is to bring him back, awake. He will se what we can do for him. If he falls asleep, or is knocked unconscious, get away from him immediately. If there are too many lives at risk, kill him. It will be your call." Some people nodded wisely at the Hokage's decision, others shook there heads, and still others just looked a little pale. "Teams will be no smaller than three people." The ninjas nodded their understanding. Tsunade wanted to turn away from them, she wanted to close her eyes as she gave the order, but she couldn't afford to show a weakened resolve at this point. No matter what she felt, Naruto had become dangerous, and she couldn't let anyone see her waver, not when she was their support. A shadow came across the Hokage's face, darkening it. "Move out."

When Sakura and the others reached the training field, Lee, Tenten, and Neji were already there. Lee had obviously been working very hard, but Tenten and Neji didn't look nearly as exhausted. She looked around and thought to herself, these are all the Konoha shinobi that made it past the second part of the Chuunin Exam. She realized that she had been working on her training so much that she had barely spent any time with anyone, except for a mission with Naruto. Maybe I need to get out more. As soon as Lee saw Sakura, he smiled wide. "Sakura-chan!" Sakura gave a small wave. "Hi, Lee-kun." Lee walked towards her and asked, "Did you come here to see me defeat Neji-san in battle!?" Neji rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Um," Sakura was a little taken back, "No, I didn't. I came looking for Naruto." Lee looked slightly crestfallen, but Neji answered before he could say anything. "He's not here. We've been here most of the morning, and he hasn't come by at all." Tenten nodded her agreement. Kiba frowned. "I thought for sure he'd be here." Shikimaru shrugged. "I guess we'll have to train without him." Chouji looked disappointed. "I see no reason to give up until I have earned my free lunch." Sakura almost laughed at how serious he looked. Ino looked back at Shikimaru and Chouji. "Wait. You two were going to train? Willingly?" Shikimaru shrugged. "As a chuunin, I have a responsibility to be strong enough to protect my team." Chouji nodded. "And I want to be strong so that people can depend on me!" he added. Sakura could still remember Shikimaru's face when he had been told two of his team members had been close to death. She looked at Kiba, Shikimaru, Chouji, and Neji, and saw something pass silently between them. She remembered being told that nothing could bring people together like death. She shivered.

"What are you all doing here?" Everyone turned to see Kurenai standing a little ways off. Only Neji didn't appear startled. "We're out here to train." Kiba answered. "It would be a shame to waste the spring time of youth!" Lee added. Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's fine, but there's a murderer on the loose. S-class. He could kill all of you quite easily. From now on don't go anywhere without a chuunin." Shikimaru raised his hand. "An experienced chuunin." The hand stayed up. A vein popped on Kurenai's forehead. "Fine, but I still want you all to be more careful." "When did the murderer become S-class? They've only killed 23 people so far. And how do you know it's a he? Do you know who it is?" Ino asked. Kurenai looked at the Genin (And Shikimaru) and wondered if she should tell them. These were Naruto's friends, they might go looking for him if she told them the truth. Then she realized something. She glanced around quickly. "Do you know who it is?" Ino repeated. Kurenai ignored her. "Kiba, where are Shino and Hinata?" Kiba looked puzzled, but answered. "Shino is outside the village training." Damn! But I suppose Shino is smart enough to get away if something happens. The real worry was… "And Hinata? Where is Hinata?!" Kiba was starting to look a little scared. He couldn't remember ever seeing Kurenai like this. "She said she was going to go talk to Shino. You know how she likes to ask him for advice." Kurenai took a breathe. Shino would be able to keep Hinata safe. "Oh yeah! And she didn't say directly, but I think she's going to go look for Naruto afterwards. Not that she's likely to have much more luck then us." He crossed his arms, but Kurenai didn't even notice. She didn't notice anything around her. In her mind, she could see her student's body, torn apart like all the other victims. She could imagine the look on Hinata's face just before the boy she loved killed her. It made Kurenai want to puke. 

"Kurenai-sensei?" A firm grasp on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Naruto was somewhere out there. Hinata was somewhere out there. So was Shino, but he could take care of himself. A competent bug user could probably escape Kyuubi Naruto. Still, she had to get them both. "Shikimaru-san!" Shikimaru recognized when he was being called for duty. "Who would you choose here for a retrieval mission?" Shikimaru didn't move. Then he asked, "What kind of target?"

"Human."

"Obstacles?"

"A S-class murderer who kills for fun and doesn't understand the meaning of the word pity."

Shikimaru frowned. He took a quick glance around him at the assembled crew. "Myself, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura. Anyone else might help, but they'd probably just get in the way." Six. That was too many. "Drop two, excluding yourself." She said. "Rock Lee and Yamanaka Ino." Shikimaru said without hesitation. Both Lee and Ino looked furious with him. They might have done something, but Kurenai was already pulling the team together. "Fine. You three, come with me. The rest of you report to Asuma-sensei." They weren't about to argue with her. "Where is he?" Tenten asked. "His team will take you there. Ino began walking, and motioned for the rest to follow her. After a glare from Kurenai, they did so, hurriedly. 

Shikimaru watched them go. Then he turned to Kurenai. "We're going after Hinata, right?" Kurenai had started for the gate, she only nodded. The rest followed her. Sakura walked beside Shikimaru. "Shikimaru-san?" Shikimaru looked over to her. They had barely ever spoken before graduating from the academy, and they still didn't talk much now. "Why did you pick me? I mean, Kiba-san is great for this kind of thing, plus he knows Hinata pretty well. Lee-kun is very fast, and would defend someone to his death, and even Ino can go into someone's mind. Why did you pick me?" Shikimaru just watched her for a moment. "You're a medical-nin. Hinata could be hurt, and this mission has a high probability of us having to fight." Sakura nodded.

"Also, there is another reason." Sakura looked up. "I don't want to speculate or jump to conclusions, but you might know the murderer." Sakura was shocked. "Don't tell Kurenai-san. I'm only deducing from what she's said and how she's acted." Sakura managed to nod. After walking a bit more she asked, "Who do you think it is?" Shikimaru just shook his head. 

Outside the village

"Hinata-chan, we've been traveling away from the village for over an hour now. Where are you taking me? And what did you mean 'I'm not safe anymore'." Hinata and Naruto were flying through the trees. She was trying her very best to ignore the fact that she and Naruto were alone together. She had been trying so hard not to think of that, or anything else even, that she had gotten lost. Not that she had known where she was going in the first place. "Are you lost, Hinata-chan?" Hinata was always struck when he said her name. It almost always made her breath catch. She landed on the ground and continued walking. She only knew that she had to get Naruto away from the village. "Hinata-chan, please tell me what is going on." Hinata looked into his eyes, and could see there how much he hated not knowing what was going on. But there was also something more. She stopped walking and just looked at him. "Naruto-kun. I know about the Kyuubi." For a moment Naruto did nothing. Then he simply sank to his knees. "Then, do you… do you hate me?" Naruto was just staring at the ground. See him like this made Hinata want to cry. "Of course not, Naruto-kun. I could never hate you." Naruto looked up in disbelief. "I know that the Kyuubi is something else inside of you. I know that you are Naruto-kun, and nothing can change that." She wanted to add that she loved him, but just thinking about it made her feel unstable. Naruto's eyes were shining. She had seen them shine like this before, after the battle with the giant bee, but this time it was stronger. "Hinata!" Naruto cried as he jumped up and hugged her. Hinata couldn't move a muscle; she lost all thought control. "I'm so glad that you don't hate me, Hinata-chan." By this time she was completely red. After a short while, Naruto released the embrace. "Thank you, Hinata." He whispered.

Hinata took a few minutes to regain control of her faculties. In that time, Naruto sat down and patiently waited for her. "Naruto-kun, I saw you last night." Naruto scratched his head. "Last night? I went to bed early, then woke up out in the woods. I was a little worried about that, so I was going to go see Granny Tsunade to ask-" "No!" Naruto looked taken back by Hinata's sudden outburst. She herself was surprised, but she knew this had to be done. "You can't go back to Tsunade-sama. You can't go back to Konoha, Naruto-kun. Ever." She saw Naruto pale. She was well aware that she had just told him that he couldn't go back to his only family, the only place where he had ever been accepted. She thought he might get made, but he just asked, "Why?" Hinata took a long breath. "The Kyuubi has found a way to take control of you. I think they will kill you to stop it getting out again." Naruto looked scared. Hinata continued. "I saw it last night. I saw you jump out of your apartment. You were covered in a red chakra. You laughed and it sounded so… so evil." Naruto said nothing. He stared hard at the ground. "I… I thought…" Hinata fell silent, unable to continue. Naruto finally spoke up. "You thought that I was going to kill you." It wasn't a question. Hinata nodded slowly. Naruto didn't look up, but he knew. For a long time they stayed there, Naruto sitting, staring at the ground, Hinata standing, staring at Naruto. Finally Hinata decided that Naruto didn't really need her there. She began to walk away. "You…" Hinata turned around when Naruto spoke. He was looking at her now, instead of the ground. "Please don't go to far. I don't want to feel alone right now." Hinata tried to smile. "I'll be here for you, Naruto-kun." _I'll always be here for you._

Inside Naruto's Mind

Naruto walked along the cold, damp passageway of his mind. He knew where he was going. He could get there even if he wasn't drawn by the power of the Kyuubi. He turned a corner and came up to an huge cage, seemingly empty except for two giant eyes.

"Hello, brat. Why are you in here?" While the Naruto on the outside had appeared distraught, the Naruto in here was visibly shaking with rage. "Damn you Fox, you know why I'm here!" The Kyuubi didn't seem very interested in Naruto. "Actually, I don't. Do you need my power for something again? You're pretty pathetic, so I wouldn't be surprised." Naruto thrust out his arm and screamed at the Nine-tails. "You murderer! I know that you've been taking control of my body! I know that you've been murdering people in my village! I demand that you stop, now!" The fox stared at him intently, "You think you can control me?!" It demanded suddenly. Naruto was startled by how angry it seemed. "I'm not a guardian here to protect you. I would kill you in a second if I could get past these bars. But I am trapped in your body. Even when I am in control, The Fourth's seal keeps me inside of you." Naruto stared at the demon for a long time. "When did you start getting out?" The fox blinked. "Once the elemental seal was destroyed, it was only a matter of time before I found cracks in the foundation seal." Naruto vaguely remembered Jiraiya saying something about breaking an elemental seal when they were training for the third stage of the Chuunin Exam. "Why must you kill?!" The fox blinked again. "Because I want too." "That's not an answer!" Naruto yelled. "Yes it is, you just don't like it." Naruto was furious. "There's no way to stop you, is there?" The Kyuubi laughed. "Of course not." Naruto smiled a terrifying smile. "But if I die, so do you." The Nine-tails stopped laughing. "If I let myself get killed, then you'll be gone forever." The demon growled. "You can't let yourself die. You have to much pride." Naruto crossed his arms. "To save the people I love? Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan. All of my friends. Even Granny Tsunade. I'd sooner die than see anyone else get hurt. I swore that I would do everything in my power to protect them. Everything." The fox roared at Naruto, but he was already leaving. His mind was made up.

Hinata was walking back and forth, back and forth. She was worried about Naruto. What would he do now that he knew? Would he be able to control it? Did he know what caused it in the first place? So many questions, but she couldn't force her feet to take her back to him. She knew that he needed to be alone right now.

Walking back and forth, back and forth. As far back as she had known Naruto, she had been watching him. He had always been alone, for as long as she could remember, until he had gotten to know Iruka-sensei. Then he had been put in a team with Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei. Slowly, he had gotten to know the rest of his peers, first in the Chuunin Exam, then later on missions. All Naruto had ever wanted was to be acknowledged. Now that was being taken away from him.

Back and forth, back and forth. And it was being taken by her, she suddenly realized. Obviously, she had nothing to do with the Kyuubi, but it was her who was telling him that he couldn't go back. Although she was trying to save his life, she was also taking it away by telling him to leave Konoha. No, Naruto would be able to find a way to beat the Kyuubi. Naruto could do it. She would help until he found a way to beat it. Hinata nodded to herself.

She stopped pacing. Hope had been restored. She walked back through the brush towards Naruto. At first she considered calling out, but she didn't want to disturb his thinking. Silently, she walked past the last few bushed to where Naruto was leaning against a tree. Holding a kunai with both hands. Pointed at his heart.

Hinata didn't know what to think or what to do. "N…Naruto-kun?" Naruto whipped his head up to see Hinata standing in front of him. "Hinata?" Hinata couldn't even look Naruto in the eye. She was too focused on the knife in his hands. "What are you doing, Naruto-kun?" She took a few steps towards him. Naruto could see tears forming in Hinata's eyes, knew they were forming in his own. "I've figured it out Hinata-chan. I know how to stop Kyuubi." "No, Naruto-kun! This isn't right. You can find a way to beat it! You always do!" Naruto pushed Hinata away, hard. He got up, clutching the kunai in one hand. "Don't you get it? This is the way. I have found it. I know what I have to do." Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, willing the scene to go away. Naruto could see a tear fall down her face. "No…" she whimpered. "Don't you see?" Naruto was more pleading with her than asking her. "It's the only way. The Kyuubi is killing people, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing except this. I'm the only thing between the Kyuubi living and dieing. I can kill it." Hinata opened her eyes again. Naruto realized that he had hurt her. Suddenly he felt sorry. "I know that's not you, Naruto-kun. It's the Naruto-thing. I know that Naruto-kun would never give up, and he would never say those things." Naruto couldn't move for a moment. He remembered once saying something like that to Sasuke. _The Sasuke I know isn't a coward. He wouldn't give up._ Naruto closed his eyes. _Maybe you're right, Hinata-chan. Maybe I shouldn't give up. At least not yet._ Suddenly he felt something pressing against him. He opened his eyes, and saw Hinata's looking back at him. She was standing between his body and the knife in his hand. "Don't do it, Naruto-kun. I can't stop you, I know that I'm not strong enough." Naruto could hear the pain in her voice, the regret. "But if you have too, then kill me first." Naruto was shocked. He looked hard into those lavender eyes, but saw only grim determination. "You can't leave me alone, Naruto-kun. I would be dead anyways. So take me with you." He tried to push her away, but he didn't seem to have the strength anymore. Instead, he let his head fall onto her shoulder. "Hinata-chan. Why? Why are you here for me?" Hinata said nothing, but Naruto hadn't really needed an answer anyway. The kunai fell from Naruto's hand, forgotten.

How much time passed, neither of them could guess. Eventually, though, the silence was broken by sounds of movement coming from the direction of the village. They both turned towards the sound. Hinata was terrified. "Naruto-kun! They're coming to get you Naruto-kun!" Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled his uncanny smile. "Then we had better not let them catch us." Hinata was momentarily caught of guard by the 'us', but she nodded. Both ninjas disappeared into the trees.

The same area, a few moments later

Two ninjas dropped from the trees to the ground. Taking a quick look around, one of them said, "They were here." The other nodded his agreement, then added, "They're moving west." Both ninja jumped back into the trees and followed their quarry.

After not to long, they began to hear movements from ahead. "Not long now." The first one said. "It's time the Kyuubi paid for it's crimes." The other grimaced and nodded. The were gaining quickly on the two bodies. Suddenly, their prey dropped to the forest floor. "Do they intend to fight us?" The second one shrugged in answer. "I don't know who's with him, but try not to kill them unless they attack first." The first one nodded. They both launched themselves to the forest floor. Kunai and shurikens came flying at them but they deflected them easily. Landing on the ground, the saw Naruto, and a girl next to him. "That's the heir of the Hyuuga clan! What's see doing here?" The two teens took up combat positions. "Consider her an enemy." The second one said. The first one nodded, then added, "What do they think they can do against two jounins?" They both ran forward with lightning speed. Their enemies didn't even have time to react before each one was hit with a punch.

The two jounins' smiles of victory quickly turned to expressions of shock when they realized that their fists were stuck. "What?!" the first one cried out. The two bodies began to melt. It wasn't long before they could see what the fakes were made of. "Bugs. They're insect clones." The insects crawled up their arms and over most of their bodies. The ninja was expecting to feel thousands of tiny bites and lose consciousness, but that didn't happen. A teenager walked out from behind a tree. He was wearing black sunglasses and a large coat, with his hands in the pockets. The ninja didn't recognize him, but he knew that he must be from the Aburame clan. The boy was facing them, but with the sunglasses on, it was impossible to tell where he was looking. "Why are you chasing after Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata?" This guy was enough to make even an experienced jounin nervous. "Why should we tell you anything?" For about a minute, the boy said nothing, then, "Your lives are in my hands. It would be best for you to comply." The jounin cringed and looked at his partner. He was surprised to see that the man was already unconscious on the ground. _Shit! When did that happen?_ "Fine," he said, turning back to the teen, "We're trying to catch Naruto because he's an s-class murderer." He felt a few pricks on his arms, then they started to feel numb. "I don't want to be lied too again." The ninja shook his head. "It's true. Thirteen years ago, the Fourth didn't kill the Kyuubi, he sealed it. Inside Naruto. Now it's taken control of his body, killing everyone in sight. The murderer in Konoha? It was Naruto." He watched the teenager, who showed no visible response. "I just saw Naruto. He was far more of a danger to himself than to those around him." The jounin frowned. Maybe the Hokage was right. The Kyuubi wasn't in total control. "You'd better kill him before he kills you, and the Hyuuga girl." The teen shifted. "You will not have to worry about her health. She's safest where she is now." The jounin sensed something. Was it worry? "You tell me that when you find her dead body, cut to pieces." The teenager began walking towards him. He tried to get away, but he couldn't move because of the insects. "You know nothing about Naruto." The jounin felt the tiny pricks all over his body, and then consciousness slipped away.

Naruto dropped to the forest floor. He turned to look behind him as Hinata dropped down as well. "Did we lose them? I don't hear anything." Hinata nodded. "Byakugan!" Naruto watched Hinata as she scanned the forest. "I… I don't see anything. There's no trace of them." Naruto sat down against a tree. "Then let's get some rest. We've done nothing but run around all morning." His stomach growled. "AND it's lunch time." Hinata smiled at how helpless he looked when he was hungry. "I'll go look for something to eat, Naruto-kun. Just don't let your guard down." Naruto grunted. Hinata jumped away. Naruto looked after where she had gone. _She really believes in me. But I don't think she knows what we're dealing with._ Naruto sighed. "I just wish I knew how it took control."

A nearby stream

Hinata was fishing. She had never actually done this before, and the distortion from the water was making things difficult, but it wasn't too much different from kunai practice back at the academy. She had already caught three fish. Knowing Naruto, they would need a lot more, though. She used her Byakugan to check on him again. He was pacing back and forth, obviously in thought. _Just so long as he doesn't think about killing himself._ A cold shiver ran through her. The image of Naruto, holding a knife towards his own heart, was burned into her mind. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't get it out. What would have happened if she hadn't walked in right then? She shuddered again. She tried to push the image out of her mind by thinking of something else. Naruto leaning against her with his head on her shoulder was what came to mind. She blushed, but only a little. Naruto needed support now, that was obvious. She had to be there for him. There was no one else. 

Near the Konoha gate

Shino threw a rock against the wall. He watched one of the gate guards come out to see what it was. He saw the look of surprise when the guard saw two unconscious jounin leaning against the wall. _Now that that is done, I'd better go catch up with Naruto and Hinata. I hope Hinata doesn't notice the bugs I planted on them._ Hinata, of course, would recognize the bug as one of Shino's trackers, and Shino didn't want to be revealed quite yet. There was still things to be done. He had passed Kurenai and her team, but he had hidden so they wouldn't notice him. She had seemed rather distracted, not really looking for anyone hiding. They were probably going after Naruto, and they would get to him before Shino did. He jumped into the air to a tree. There was no time to waste. 

Outside Konoha

Kurenai was jumping through the forest with Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sakura. Although Kurenai was leading the way, it was Kiba who was directing them. "I can smell both of them. It won't be much farther now." Akamaru barked his agreement. "Then keep quite!" snapped Kurenai. Kiba was surprised by her harshness. _She must really be worried about Hinata. But what does Naruto have to do with anything?_ Why had Kurenai gone so pale when he told her Hinata was looking for Naruto. True, Hinata had always had a knack for knowing where Naruto was, but what about that was dangerous? Kiba saw his sensei drop to the ground and followed suit. The four of them looked out from the bushes to see Naruto sitting against a tree with his eyes closed. "Shit!" Kurenai whispered. Kiba looked at her with puzzlement. "So he's sleeping, so what? Shouldn't that make him easier to catch?" Kurenai didn't say anything.

"He's not sleeping." Everyone whipped around to face Sakura. She had her arms crossed and was frowning. "Naruto never sleeps that peacefully. He's always tossing and turning. I have know idea how he ever gets a good sleep." They continued to stare at her, then looked back at Naruto, then back at her, quizzically. She realized the implication. "It's not what you think! I've traveled with him. I can hear him moving around all the time from the other tent." Kiba smirked. Sakura belted him. "I SAID IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Kiba held his head where she hit him. "You're a monster." Sakura was burning with rage. "What did you say?!"

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked over in their direction. Kurenai sighed. He hadn't been asleep. He was still Uzumaki Naruto. She stood up and walked into the clearing. Sakura and Kiba followed her, and after a moment's hesitation, so did Shikamaru. "Kiba! Shikamaru! Kurenai-sensei! What are you guys doing here?" Kiba jumped forwards. "We're looking for an S-class murderer who's trying to kill Hinata!" Naruto was rather surprised, but didn't say anything. Sakura scowled at Kiba. "No we're not. We're just trying to find Hinata out here, because the murderer is out here too." Something clicked in Naruto's mind. "Murderer?" Kiba nodded excitedly. "The murderer in Konoha is now rated as an S-class murderer!" Naruto waited for Sakura to correct Kiba, but she didn't. Naruto realized that the Hokage had deemed him an S-class murderer. She must know that it wasn't his fault, but she still… "Naruto." Kurenai was standing in front of him now. "It's not safe out here with a murderer on the lose. Help us find Hinata and then come back to Konoha with us." Naruto gazed at Kurenai. It would be so easy to just go back to Konoha now, and not have to worry about the Kyuubi or anything. A sound behind him made him turn. Hinata was coming out of the bushes with a bunch of fish in her hands. When she saw Kurenai and the rest, she stopped short and dropped the fish. "Hinata!" Kiba smiled at her. Hinata didn't smile back. She was watching Kurenai. "Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai looked back at Hinata. _This isn't good. How much did she tell him?_ She had to take her chances. "We came out here to get you two. There's an S-class murderer on the lose out here, it's not safe for you."

"NO!" Everyone was shocked at Hinata's outburst. "You're here too take Naruto-kun back, aren't you?" There was silence all around, and confusion on Sakura and Kiba's parts. "I thought we were here to get Hinata." Kiba said. Kurenai nodded. "That's right. We don't have to bring Naruto. That's not our mission." Hinata looked scared, worried, and a little angry. Naruto frowned. "It's not your mission. So whose mission is it? Who's coming after me?" Sakura was puzzled. "Why would anyone be after…" She glanced at Shikamaru. He nodded. Sakura stood in stunned silence. Kiba was getting frustrated. "What's going on?!"

"Naruto is the murderer."

Both Kiba and Kurenai turned to look at Shikamaru in shock. He didn't look his usual self. He didn't appear laid back, relaxed, or even lazy. He was grimacing, and his body was tense, ready for battle. "Or rather, Naruto is being used, by some jutsu perhaps. I don't believe he is capable of killing fellow Konoha citizens." Kiba whipped his head around to Kurenai for confirmation. She sighed. "I guess it's time for you all to know. The Kyuubi wasn't destroyed 13 years ago. It was sealed inside Naruto. Now it can take control of him when he is asleep, or unconscious." Shikamaru nodded his agreement. "That makes sense. It would explain a lot about Naruto, like his healing ability, his amazing red chakra, and why so many people seem to hate him." It took about a minute for this to sink in for Sakura and Kiba. Kiba looked back at Naruto, as though seeing him in a knew light. Naruto was furious. "You didn't have to tell them that! Why did you do that!" He threw a punch at Kurenai, who dodged it easily. "Barely anyone in the village accepts me, and now you're going to tell them that I'm a monster?! I hate you!" He threw another punch, but Kurenai caught it and threw him into a tree. "Naruto-kun!" "Naruto!" Hinata and Kiba ran towards where he was, but Kurenai caught them before they could reach him.

"Don't go near him." Kiba glared at his sensei in shock, but Hinata just kept struggling. Kurenai, however, had a good hold on her jacket. "Hinata, calm down. We're just going to-" "No!" Hinata let her jacket come off and ran towards Naruto. "Shikamaru!" Suddenly Hinata couldn't move. She felt her body turn itself around, despite her telling it the opposite. Shikamaru had caught her with his shadow. "Shikamaru-kun!" Shikamaru held his hands in the position for the Shadow Imitation Technique. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I know that Naruto would never willingly hurt you, but the Kyuubi of legend wouldn't give a second thought to killing you." Hinata cried out in desperation. "Why is this happening?!" she closed her eyes tight, and felt a tear fall down her cheek. "Hinata…" she heard Kiba's voice.

"Stop right there." Everyone turned to see Naruto standing, a little bruised, but none the worse for wear. "I won't let you take Hinata-chan away. She's always believed in me. Even now, when I don't believe in myself, she still thinks I can win. She's the only reason I'm still breathing right now. I can't… I won't let you take her away. I need her." Everyone stood in shocked silence. "Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered. 

"It's going to happen whether you like it or not. You can come with us or not as you choose." Naruto spun around when he heard Kurenai behind him. _When did she move? It was fast!_ "I don't care! I'll stop you no matter what." He kicked at Kurenai as hard as he could, but she brought her own leg up and stepped on Naruto's foot, shoving it back to the ground. He brought his other foot up in a roundhouse, but Kurenai caught it easily. He threw out his fist in a punch, and she caught it as well. Kurenai spoke. "You can't beat me Naruto." Naruto smiled. _She's already using two hands to stop me, but I still have a free hand._ He threw his hand out in a punch straight at Kurenai's face. It sailed threw the air until it hit… nothing. She had dodged it. Then, with her free leg, she kneed Naruto in the stomach. Not too hard, just enough to make him fall backwards. Clutching his mid-riff, Naruto stood back up. He brought his hands together in preparation of the Kage No Bushin Jutsu. "Sorry, Naruto." Shikamaru's shadow was split in two, one holding Hinata, and the other holding Naruto. Naruto's hands came apart. Shikamaru held his arms out wide. So did Hinata and Naruto.

"Good work Shikamaru." Kurenai folded her arms and nodded in approval. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Hinata shrugged. "I just don't like seeing you beat up Naruto." Kurenai scowled, but she had done what she came to do. "How long can you hold him, Shikamaru?" "If you guys are taking Hinata with you, then I only have to hold him, so-" "No!" Naruto was fighting as hard as he could to get out of the jutsu. "I won't let you take her!" Kurenai walked over in front of him. "Sorry Naruto, but this is for her protection. What if you fall asleep with her nearby? Kyuubi will kill her without hesitation. You know that." Naruto's head fell.

Inside Naruto's Mind

"Why? Why am I so weak?! I can't even protect the people I want to protect." He glanced at the Kyuubi's cage. "Not even from myself." "You're weak brat. What else do you expect?" Naruto sighed. "But I tried so hard to be strong. I train and train and I fight and everyone tells me that I'm getting stronger, but when it really matters, I can't win. I don't have enough power. That's how I lost Sasuke. That's how I'll lose Hinata. One day, that'll be how I lose myself." The Kyuubi just stared at him. "You're not here because you want to talk about the future, past, and present." Naruto turned to face the Kyuubi fully. "No, I'm not."

The Clearing

"I'll send reinforcements as soon as I can to come back you up and take Naruto." Kurenai nodded to Shikamaru as she picked Hinata up and threw her over her shoulder. Hinata wasn't even struggling anymore, her body was limp. Kiba watched her with concern. "Eh." They both turned to see Shikamaru's strained face. "His chakra just increased ten-fold and it's still increasing." They turned to look at Naruto, whose whole body was strained. Then suddenly red chakra burst forth from him. He opened his eyes, and everyone saw they were red. "Is that… The Kyuubi?" Sakura asked. Naruto's face smiled. He easily jumped out of Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation, and landed in front of him. Before Shikamaru could do anything, Naruto punched him hard into a tree. Shikamaru did not get up. "Shikamaru!" Kiba started towards him, but stopped when Naruto's head turned to look for him. "Akamaru, go get help!" Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's shirt, took a last look back at his master, then ran towards the village. Kiba turned back towards Naruto, but he wasn't there. He felt a sharp pain in back, then fell to the forest floor. Sakura pulled out a kunai, although it was more by instinct than intent. Naruto stepped over Kiba's body to face her. "Stay back Naruto." Naruto laughed, and it made Sakura shiver. He walked up to her slowly, then grabbed the kunai. Sakura watched in horror as blood ran down the knife from Naruto's hand. Naruto kicked her hard in the stomach, sending her flying until she hit a tree and fell, limp, to the ground. "You just killed your own friends." Kurenai had set Hinata down, and had taken up a fighting stance. Hinata just stared at Naruto, as though none of it was really happening. Kyuubi Naruto shrugged. "So what?" Kurenai frowned. "Naruto, evil does not become you." She jumped into the air, throwing kunai at Naruto. He dodged easily as he jumped into the air as well. "I am not the brat. He merely called me out." He swung his leg at her, sending her flying through the forest, leaving a trench behind her. _Impossible! He let the Kyuubi out like this? Willingly? What has happened to you, Naruto?_ She jumped up into the air, looking for Naruto. "Over here." She looked up to see Naruto was already above her, coming down fast. "You lose." A fist to the face and Kurenai was sent to the ground permanenlty. Naruto landed by Hinata, who was looking at him with terror in her eyes. _There are some situations, however, when even getting rid or the source is not enough. You may indeed have to kill a friend, if it comes down to it. If you aren't able to do it, then the problem continues, and now you're to blame as well, because you could have stopped it._ "Naruto…" As Kyuubi Naruto raised his fist to strike, Hinata merely watched. I couldn't stop him. In her last moments Hinata once again remembered Naruto's head on her shoulder.

The Fifth Hokage was pacing back and forth in her office. Asuma was standing to the side, smoking silently. She was clearly upset. And with good reson. The evidence from the two Jounin found at the gate suggested that both Shino and Hinata were with Naruto. Akamaru had shown up not too long ago, and they had had to lock him in a room just to contain him. Tsunade, and everyone she spoke to, had never seen Akamaru without Kiba. Now she was wirried about Kurenai, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sakura. Potentially all of them could be dead. And, on top of itall, she was having trouble keeping Lee from charging out after them all. Neji and Tenten were barely managing to restrain him in the room outside her office. She sighed. The only good news was that she had been reading documents left behind by the Third and Forth, and was starting to think that she might have found a way to save Naruto. Unfortunetly, she suspected that his condition was getting worse. If she was right, soon the Kyuubi would be able to take full control even when Naruto was awake, and than nothing would be able to save Naruto.

There was a large bang from the next room. Tsunade glared at the door angrily, but then went back to her pacing. "I'll go check on them." Asuma said. She gave no indication that she heard him. He walked into the next room to find Lee pinned to the floor by a number of kunai and shurikens. He was unconscious. Asuma looked at Neji and Tenten, both bruised and panting heavily. "You had to knock him out?"

Neji shrugged. "I hit his chakra points." Asuma raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought that it would come to that. Lee groaned. Neji scowled. "He doesn't depend on chakra as much as most people though, so he's recovering faster." "How long until he's back?" Neji shrugged again. Tenten explained. "It depends on a lot of variables, which can change vastly during the recuperation period. If he was to get medical attention, it probably wouldn't take more that an hour though." Neji nodded his agreement.

"Good, because he don't have much longer then that." Asuma looked to see who had spoken, then he smiled. "Good to see you. Come with me. Maybe you can brighten the Hokage's mood."

Tsunade winced when there was a knock at the door. "WHAT?!" Asuma opened the door wide. When Tsunade saw who was standing there, she smiled. 

Outside Konoha

Shino couldn't find anyone. He wasn't lost, he knew exactly where he was. What he couldn't figure out was where he was going. The insects he had placed on Naruto and Hinata weren't attracting the ones he had with him. There was the possibility that they had died, and Shino had to admit that it seemed to be the answer. He jumped from tree to tree, trying to get a good view of the area around him. Looking hard, he soon spotted a small clearing not to far away. He could see signs of a battle already; it must have been bad. He jumped towards it as fast as he could.

A rooftop in Konoha

Chouji was sitting on his and Shikamaru's favorite rooftop. However, instead of Shikamaru, it was Ino sitting next to him. They were staring at the sky, and Chouji wasn't even eating chips or anything. The clouds were light and fluffy, in sharp contrast to the mood. 

"Chouji…" Ino chose her words carefully, not looking at him. "What's it like when your dying?" Chouji was silent. Ino flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." They sat their staring at the sky some more.

"Shikamaru will be ok, Ino." Ino looked at Chouji, slightly surprised that he was trying to comfort her. "He's not a chuunin for nothing." Ino looked back into the sky. _That's true, but still, I can't help worrying. Hasn't he always had someone come and save him at the last second? A record like that's not very reassuring._ Ino sighed and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she heard a clang on the stairs. She looked over to see Chouji leaving the roof. _That was quiet, I didn't hear him at all._ "Chouji?" He stopped, but didn't look back. "Dying is one of the worst thing you can ever feel. Not the pain, it's bearable. It's the thought of passing out of the world all alone, without have done any of the things you wanted to do in life. You remember all the people that you're going to leave behind, and you wonder what they'll do when your gone. And then you wonder if you could have done something different, something to save yourself and everyone else." Ino was glad she couldn't see Chouji's face. If she could, she would probably break into tears. He sounded so sad. Already she could feel water welling up in her eyes.

"And that's why I can't leave him out there." he said. Ino looked hard at him. "I've got to go looking for him. Naruto and Kiba too." Ino blinked. "Naruto?" Chouji nodded. "He's out there." Ino shook her head. "How do you know?" Chouji turned to look at her, and Ino could see he was close to crying too. "Shikamaru told me."

"When was that?"

"At the training field."

"I didn't hear him say anything."

"We have other ways of communicating."

Ino was reminded once again of how well Chouji and Shikamaru worked together. In a way, she was the odd one out. Not only were they very old friends, they were both stronger than her. They understood each other like brothers. Sometimes it was a little scary. "Then I'll come too." Chouji didn't look even the littlest bit surprised. "Meet me at the gate in one hour." Ino nodded, then took off towards her house, jumping over rooftops. _Shikamaru… be safe. We're coming._

The Hokage's office

Tsunade sat at her desk. Her day was improving, however bleak the situation still looked. Asuma stood in front of her, smoking a cigarette. Beside him was Kakashi, hands in his pockets, and beside Kakashi, Gai was standing, clenching and unclenching his fists. Kakashi and Gai were two of the very best jounins in the village, and Asuma as right up there too. If they couldn't bring back Naruto, at least they could confirm the status of everyone who was missing. The only problem was…

"Please Hokage-sama! You can't really mean no. I must bring back my friends!" Lee, with Neji and Tenen watching him from either side, was on his knees begging. Tsunade stood up, slamming her desk, trying to avoid breaking it again. "No! You simple cannot go. I realize that your abilities are beyond that of a Genin, but that still doesn't make you strong enough to go on this mission." Kakashi spoke up. "Actually, we're planning on taking them with us." Tsunade was speechless for a moment. Not only was Kakashi directly undermining her orders, he was putting these kids in danger. That wasn't something Kakashi would do. "I realize that this may seem like a bad idea, but while Gai and I were in the hospital, we worked out a plan. It involves them, although they will not be placed in danger." Tsunade looked from Kakashi to Gai, who nodded. She sighed. "Bring back Naruto, or you'll owe me big-time for this." Kakashi nodded. Tsunade waved her hand, and they all left the room. _Why do I always end up sending Genin to do work Chuunins and Jounins should be doing?_

The clearing

Shino landed on the ground and looked around him. There was massive destruction everywhere. The battle had been powerful, but from the looks of it, it had been one sided. Shino suspected that the Kyuubi had taken control of Naruto again. Things were looking bad. He started looking for bodies, knowing what he would probably find.

The gate

Chouji and Ino watched from a rooftop as Kakashi set down Akamaru, then summoned his own pack of dogs. After about a minute, the dogs disappeared, and Akamaru bolted out the gate. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Lee, Neji, and Tenten followed.

"If we follow them, they'll lead us to Shikamaru." Chouji told her. Ino nodded. They jumped into the air. 

The clearing

Shino hadn't found anything yet, but that didn't mean anything. In fact it made him even more careful of his surroundings. Which was why he noticed a trail of blood in the underbrush. He began following it, hoping against hope there wasn't a dead body or a torn-off limb at the end of the trail. Suddenly a sound in the bushes distracted him. "Who's there?" A huge man walked out from the shadows. "Come now, are you saying that you don't recognize me, ninja of Konoha?" Shino's eye's widened, although the other man couldn't have known. Shino did recognize him.

Akamaru lead the group at a furious pace, but they were all able to keep up with him. Kakashi was getting worried though. Lee might be good at endurance, but he wasn't sure if Neji and Tenten could keep up this pace. "Gai, will your students be able to keep up?" Gai looked back at them. "They'll die before they let themselves slow us down." He grimaced. Kakashi nodded. "Good. But if it comes to that, we'll send then back." Gai nodded. "Right." They continued jumping through the trees.

A few meters behind, the genin were talking. "What do you think we're supposed to do in the plan?" Tenten asked. Neji shook his head. "I have no idea. But it sounds like we're not going to be fighting anyone." Lee wasn't saying anything, his face set with determination. This suited Neji fine, but worried Tenten a little. "Lee? Are you alright?" "I must protect my friends. I must protect Sakura-chan. But I'm worried. Gai-sensei went to the hospital after fighting the person we're going after." He turned his head to face Tenten. "What if I'm not strong enough?" Tenten could not remember, in all her time with Lee, him ever being worried about failing. And why would he? He was a strong ninja, one of the best taijutsu-users Konoha had to offer. Yet here he was, scared by the possible outcome. 

"You'll do fine Lee. If anyone can protect Sakura-chan, it's you." Lee smiled at whipped his neck forward. "You're right! I will protect Sakura-chan!" Tenten sighed. And people said Naruto had 'Sakura tunnel vision'. Asuma dropped back from Kakashi and Gai to jump with the three genin. "I think you guys should know in advance, we'll probably end up fighting Naruto." The looks of shock were clearly defined on their faces. "Hopefully, it will just be me, Kakashi and Gai, but if things go bad, you guys might have to fight him as well." Lee asked, "Why would we have to fight Naruto?" Asuma sighed. "You've all seen that red chakra of his?" They all nodded, although Lee had only heard about it afterwards. "Long story short, that power is slowly taking control of him. If you see that chakra, run. Don't look back, just get to the village." They continued jumping in silence for a while, then Asuma caught up with Kakashi and Gai.

"Are you sure telling them was a good idea?" he asked Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja replied, "If they're not prepared to move quickly when the time comes, we'll all be put in jeopardy." Asuma grunted his concession, but looked back at the three ninjas behind him, concerned. "What about your two students?" Gai asked Asuma. He looked back ahead of him. "They're still following us. We've got to lose them." A movement in the bushes distracted Kakashi for a moment. "That'll keep them busy." Asuma and Gai looked towards where he indicated. Asuma's eye's widened. "Leave him in a place Chouji and Ino will find him." Asuma nodded and jumped away from the other two.

"Where do you think he's going?" Tenten asked. "Doesn't matter." Neji replied. Tenten scowled at him. Sometimes he was just too uptight. Even in a situation like this, he still seemed to have a log stuck up his ass.

The same place, moments later

Chouji and Ino landed on the ground quietly. "Why did we stop?" Ino asked. Chouji looked at the ground carefully. "You see that?" He pointed. There was an arrow on the ground, made out of twigs. "Who would do that?" Ino questioned, although she didn't really expect an answer. "Someone who wants us to go this way." Chouji straightened and began walking in the direction of the arrow. Ino snapped her fingers. "It's probably someone from Kurenai's team!" Chouji said nothing, but he hoped so. Ino ran to catch up with him, then fell into pace. After about a minute, they came into a small area where the sun was able to get through the trees. They both looked around, slightly blinded by the bright light. A small gasp escaped Ino when she saw a body lying on a branch a few meters above her. She recognized the body. "Shikamaru!"

The clearing

"Jiraiya-sama." Shino looked at the man standing in front of him. He had only seen pictures of the Sannin before, but he had heard that Naruto had trained with him. The man had an air about; not one of power, but of confidence. He almost seemed to be showing off, judging by the expression on his face. Still, Shino new looks could be deceiving, and that this man was powerful.

"Yep, that's me. Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin. I've been away for a while, so tell me, what's going on in Konoha. Anything important I should know about happen while I was gone?" Shino blinked once.

"There was a murder on the lose for a period of time-" "I'll bet ANBU made short work of him! I trained some of those officers myself you know." Jiraiya interrupted. Shino waited to make sure he was finished, then continued. "The murder has not been caught. Hyuuga Hinata did discover the identity of the murderer though." Jiraiya scowled. "Tell me who it is. No one gets away with murder while I'm around." "Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya was visibly stunned. "N… Naruto?" Shino nodded. "Yes. The Kyuubi has been able to take control of him and has been murdering people until earlier today." "You know about the Kyuubi? Never mind. What happened earlier today?" "Hyuuga Hinata found him and explained the situation to him. He then tried to kill himself-" "Kill himself!?" "Yes, but Hyuuga Hinata stopped him."

Jiraiya held up his hand for Shino to stop. "Hinata…." Naruto said something about her. _I think he said she was sometimes shy and weird, but had some amazing powers. She's impressed him occasionally, but that's all I know of her relationship with Naruto._ He lowered his hand. Looking at Shino, he asked, "And What's you're name?" "Aburame Shino." Jiraiya smirked. _So this is the guy that creeps out Naruto so much. I can see why. But he seems like a responsible, powerful guy._ "What do you know about Hinata?" "She has no particular talents, perhaps other than a subconscious ability for gracefulness. She has gained power as a shinobi through hard work. Pertaining to Naruto, she is inspired by him, and she is also deeply in love with him."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. "In love?" "Yes." "With Naruto?" "Yes." For a moment Jiraiya stared at Shino, trying to tell if he was kidding or not. Deciding that Shino was not the type to kid about anything ever, he started laughing loudly. Shino scowled. "The poor girl! She's doomed! That fool is more likely to fly to the moon then realize she's in love with him! Hahahaha!" "And she knows it." Jiraiya stopped laughing and looked at Shino, puzzled. "Although she makes attempts to let him know, nothing short of a miracle is going to make Naruto return her feelings." Jiraiya frowned. "She knows that?" Shino nodded. "Yes." Jiraiya sighed. "Poor girl…"

After staring off into space for a moment, Jiraiya suddenly remembered that he had a crisis on his hands. "What happened after Naruto tried to kill himself?" "Two jounins began pursuing them, but I stopped them and returned them to Konoha. On my way there, I passed a group of people headed towards Naruto's position. Judging from the damage to the terrain, the Kyuubi took control of Naruto and battled the group; most likely he won easily." Jiraiya looked around the clearing. Shino was right. "Where are they now?" "I suspect Naruto has left the area. I'm trying to find the rest of the group, or at least the bodies." Jiraiya walked past Shino, now completely serious. "Most likely the bodies. Do you have any jutsu that will help us search?" Shino blinked. In his worried state, he had forgotten to call on his insects. The thought of his friends in danger had him thinking irrationally. The man in front of him, though, was obviously adept at taking control of a situation. "Yes." "Use it." Shino called forth his insects, sending them to search the area thoroughly. Meanwhile, Jiraiya summoned a small orange toad. "Yo!" Shino blinked when the toad spoke. It was suprising, but not entirely unexpected from a summon. "Gamakichi, look around for any bodies." "You got it." The toad began hoping away. Jiraiya looked back at Shino, nodded, and then began his search. Shino started walking, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was thinking about Hinata and Kiba, as well as Naruto and the others. 

Outside Konoha

"Oh my God, is he alive?" Chouji set Shikamaru's body down on the ground, then he checked for a pulse. After a few long seconds: "Yes, barely." Ino grabbed Shikamaru's collar and leaned in close. "Shikamaru, wake up." Chouji was frowning. "He's not going to wake up. We need to get him to the hospital fast." Ino nodded, and started to pull Shikamaru's body onto her back. "Are you sure you want to carry him?" Chouji asked. Ino nodded, saying nothing. Suddenly Shikamaru's body shook and Ino nearly dropped him. "Shikamaru!" Chouji cried. Ino turned to look at his face, and saw that his eyes were open. They were open wide, and full of fear. "Run! Keep running! Get away!" Shikamaru struggled, then let out a yell of pain. Ino set him down, and looked back at his face. "He's unconscious again." she told Chouji. His face was pale. "We've got to get him back to Konoha right away." Ino nodded as she secured Shikamaru to her back. They both jumped into the air and were gone.

Shino was working things over in his mind. Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, Kurenai, Shikamaru, Sakura. All of them were missing. With the exception of Naruto, all of them were probably dead. People from the village were trying to kill Naruto. Shino wondered if the Hokage had ordered Naruto killed because of the threat, or if the ninjas had been acting on their own. The Hokage had a special place in her heart for Naruto, she would do everything she could for him. He had never seen any condition the Fifth Hokage hadn't been able to cure. It always seemed like no matter what happened to you, she would be able to fix it. But even the great Tsunade-sama couldn't bring back the dead. 

Suddenly Shino noticed a wire in the ground. He wondered who would have set a trap out here. He gingerly stepped over it, but felt his shoe catch something. Too late he realized that there was more than one wire. He spun around to see a few dozen kunai flying towards him. He whipped out a barrage of shuriken to deflect some kunai, then jumped out of the way of the rest. In mid-air he hit another wire, which also sent kunai after him, forcing him to redirect himself to the ground quickly. Shino realized that he had landed in the middle of a group of exploding notes. He jumped back into the air as fast as he could setting off more trap wires, but he was rushing to get away from the explosive tags. A few kunai hit him, but he kept jumping upwards, from branch to branch. Below him there was a monstrous explosion, and the energy from the blast blew him even higher. 

Shino had escaped the brunt of the blast and most of the kunai, although a few had injured him. His problem now was that he was very high in the air, and starting to fall. He summoned his insects from his body out to fly underneath him, making him fall slower. He landed on the ground easily, on the other side of the trap field. A bug came up next to his ear and began buzzing noisily. He swung his head around to look towards a small outcropping of rock. He ran towards it, and found a small cave once he got there. Past the entrance, the cave was devoid of light, but Shino had his insects to rely on. At the end of the cave, he found a place for a small fire. Taking some matches out of his pack, he lit the kindling that was there. The fire fed on a pile of wood that had been place there earlier.

Shino looked around to see that the fire pit wasn't the only thing in the cave. There were three pillars of rock as well. They were at the back, sitting in a straight line, spaced about three feet apart. Shino went to look at them; they had obviously been made by the same person who had set up the fire. When he got a closer look at them, he stopped cold. On each one, scratched in with a knife, was a name. From left to right they read SAKURA, KURENAI, KIBA. Behind each pillar was a hollow, and inside each hollow was a body, which corresponded to the name on the pillar in front of it. Shino went to check Kiba for life signs. He felt for a pulse, but didn't find any. He looked at the other two bodies laying in the hollows. Suddenly, he realized. "They… they're all…" He couldn't finish. He didn't want to say it aloud. He stood up quickly and ran from the cave, searching for Jiraiya.

Farther away from Konoha

Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma landed on the ground stealthily. Moments later, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were beside them. "Neji, what can you see?" Kakashi asked. "Byakugan." Neji looked hard into the woods ahead of him. The trees went on for a little while, then came to an abrupt stop at a cliff. Far past the cliff were two shinobi that Neji recognized immediately. "We're at the Valley of the End."

They all turned to look at him. "Are you sure?" Lee asked him. Neji nodded. "Of course." _What the hell is he doing here?_ Kakashi wondered. "Ok, Asuma and Gai, follow me. We'll head down the left side of the valley, Neji, lead your team down the right." "What if Naruto is on the right side?" Tenten asked. "He won't be." Kakash responded. "I've been here with him a few times since then." Everyone knew what the 'then' was. "He refuses to go onto the right one. He says it is the boundary he can't cross. Not until he can bring back Sasuke." Everyone was silent, reflecting on this for a moment. "If we don't bring him back, he won't be able to bring Sasuke back." Lee said, suddenly. "He made a promise to Sakura-chan using the nice guy pose. We can't let him fail." Gai smiled and nodded his approval. Kakashi just sighed. "Okay, move out."

The three jounin ran towards the two huge statues at a frightening speed. They had all been holding back so that the genin could keep up with them, but now they were running as fast as they could. Kakashi could easily see the damage that marked the battle between Sasuke and Naruto. Craters and burn marks littered the area, and when the sun wasn't reflecting on the water, Kakashi could even se signs of the battle below the waves. In moments they had reached the left statue. They jumped up onto the statue's head to be greeted by a strange sight. Naruto was sitting with his legs crossed, staring at the far statue. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice the presence of the three senior ninja. He had taken off his orange jacket, which was tied around his waist, and his shoes, so that he was just wearing his orange pants and his black t-shirt. But the strange part was that lying on the stone beside him with her back against his leg, was Hinata. She looked like she was asleep. With the evening sun casting an orange glow, the scene was calm and peaceful, and for a long moment all three jounin were loathe to interrupt it. Finally Kakashi said, "Naruto." 

Naruto turned his head slowly, surprised, but not acting quickly. "Kakashi-sensei?" He saw the other two shinobi. "Asuma-sensei? Gai-sensei!" He smiled at them all. "Naruto, you need to come back with us. Tsunade-sama was found a way to re-trap the Kyuubi, but the longer you stay out here, the less likely it is to work." Kakashi paused for a moment before he continued. "If you stay like this for too long, the Kyuubi will take total control, and then you will cease to exist." Naruto's eyebrows raised. "Cease to exist?" Kakashi nodded. "Your soul will disappear forever." Naruto slowly moved away from Hinata's sleeping form, then stood up. "But Hinata said that you don't think it's worth the risk. You want to kill me quickly before the Kyuubi gets out, and end the threat." Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed. "Naruto, when I tested you, Sakura and Sasuke, I didn't test you to see how strong you were or how well you followed rules. I tested you to show you that saving lives is more important than anything else. You know that is my philosophy. I'm here to help you." Gai and Asuma looked from Kakashi to Naruto, wary of any attacks from the latter. "I… I believe you, sensei. But what about Hinata?" Kakashi blinked. "What about Hinata?" "She came out here to save me before anyone else. She saved my life. She gave me the strength to try to find a way to beat Kyuubi. And I found a way." Kakashi stared at Naruto. "You… beat the Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded happily. "How… what… beat the Kyuubi?" Kakashi couldn't seem to for a sentence, but Naruto could tell what he was trying to say. "I let Kyuubi out, because I had to beat Kurenai-sensei." "Kurenai?" Asuma and Gai exchanged worried glances. "You let it out?! What were you thinking!" Kakashi yelled at Naruto. "Shhhhhh!" Naruto looked behind him to make sure Hinata hadn't been woken by the yelling. She was still sleeping peacefully. "Do you not want her to know about the Kyuubi?" Naruto shook his head. "No, she already knows. And she knows everything I'm about to tell you. I just don't want to disturb her sleeping." "Fine," Kakashi said, "then tell us." 

"I think Kurenai-sensei will be okay as long as she gets to Granny Tsunade. Because I let Kyuubi out myself, I was still conscious. Kyuubi wasn't using very much power in the first place, and I managed to lower its power to a non-lethal level without it noticing. But when it went to attack Hinata, I couldn't bear to watch her get hurt. I used all my power to stop the Kyuubi, and I forced it back into its cage." A flicker of pain flew across Naruto's face. Kakashi could only imagine what that battle had entailed. Still, he was amazed that Naruto had even been able to contend with the Kyuubi, let alone beat it. "So what about Sakura?" Kakashi asked. "Sakura and Kiba were hurt pretty badly, They need to see Granny Tsunade too. I found Shikamaru awake; he must have faked being knocked out. But he seemed kind of delusional. He attacked me until I left. I didn't know what to do, so I came here with Hinata."

"Now it's time to go back home Naruto." Kakashi held out his hand to Naruto. Naruto walked up and took it. Suddenly yellow light exploded from Kakashi's hand. It surrounded Naruto in a sphere, glowing softly. Kakashi could see Naruto yelling and punching at the sphere, but no sound escaped it. "Another of Jiraiya's little inventions, although he gave this one just to me, because you probably wouldn't trust anyone else enough to take their hand." Kakashi knew that Naruto couldn't hear him, but he still wanted to tell him this. "I'm sorry Naruto, but we can't take the risk of anything happening to you on the way to Konoha. This case should keep both you and us safe." The yellow sphere soon stopped glowing, and Kakashi couldn't see Naruto inside it anymore. 

Kakashi looked past the bubble to see Neji, Lee, and Tenten land on the statue. "You got him?" Tenten asked. Kakashi nodded. "Now comes the important part for you guys." Lee could barely stand still with anticipation. Neji and Tenten looked more calm. "You guys can carry this back to Konoha." Kakashi smiled. Neji scowled. Tenten smirked. Lee looked devastated. "You mean we don't get to fight any strong opponents!?" Gai walked forwards. "I'm sorry Lee, but Kakashi insisted we bring someone else to carry it back." Gai scowled at Kakashi, but Kakashi just shrugged. "A waste of youthfulness." "Hey, Lee," Neji said, "I bet it's really hard to carry that thing. I's an awkward shape, plus Naruto is probably pretty heavy. I challenge you to carry it all the way back to Konoha by yourself." Lee's eye's caught fire. He ran up and grabbed the ball, then flipped it onto his back. "If I can't carry it all the way back to Konoha, I'll do nothing but jumping jacks for a whole day!" Gai's eye's were full of tears. "Lee!" Lee took a moment to give a thumbs up and smile. "It's a promise!" Neji crossed his arms and smiled. "That takes care of that problem." Tenten shook her head, but she was smiling too. 

The clearing

"So they've been put in a comatose state to stop any further damage being done to any vital organs?" Jiraiya summarized. Shino nodded. "Yes." They were jumping towards the cave, threw the path Shino had created by setting the previous traps off. They moved quickly, looking out for any more traps. Jumping off of one branch, Shino saw the outcropping of rocks ahead. "There." They reached it quickly, and Shino lead Jiraiya down the tunnel to where the fire was still lit. Jiraiya took a quick look at the bodies to confirm Shino's assessment. "Can you take them all back to Konoha by yourself?" Shino looked up to Jiraiya. "Yes." "Then do it." Jiraiya stood up and began leaving the cave. "Where are you going?" Shino asked. "To redo what I've undone." Shino said nothing, not understanding what Jiraiya meant. "I've got to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto again."

The Hokage's office

Tsunade had her elbows on her desk and head in her hands. She hadn't slept since the first night Hinata had come to her, and it was beginning to show. Shizune was getting worried about her. "How's Shikamaru?" Tsunade asked. "He'll be alright. He's a little delusional, but that should be over when he wakes up. He's also got a few broken bones. He won't be going on missions for a while." Tsunade sighed. "Alright, tell me when he wakes up. I need to talk to him. Where are Chouji and Ino?" "In his hospital room." "If they leave before he wakes up, call them back when you call me." Shizune nodded. "I'm going to sleep now. If anyone comes, wake me up before you let them in." With that, Tsunade's head fell onto the desk and she fell asleep. Shizune heaved a sigh of relief. Tsunade had been so worried about Naruto, and all the stress had worn her out. She could have stayed awake for longer, but this was a rare lull in the action that had consumed the village these past few days, and Shizune knew that Tsunade had to be in the best condition she could be if she was going to help Naruto.

"Hinata-sama, wake up." Hinata felt her body being shaken out of sleep, but she didn't want to open her eyes. Why wasn't it Naruto's voice walking her up? Had it all been a dream? Then another voice came. "Come on Hinata-san, it's time to go back to Konoha." Konoha!

Hinata opened her eyes and sat straight up. Neji and Tenten were kneeling beside her. Tenten sighed.

"We were getting worried about you for a second there." Neji nodded. Hinata glanced wildly around.

"What's wrong Hinata-sama?" Neji asked.

"Naruto-kun. Where is Naruto-kun?!" Neji placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder to calm her.

"Don't worry Hinata-sama, he's been taken care of." Hinata's eyes widened in terror. She mumbled senselessly for a few moments, then managed to pull herself together.

"You… killed Naruto-kun?" Neji looked surprised, and so did Tenten.

"No, of course not. Our mission was to bring him back unharmed. Only if he tried to fight back were we to take action. Kakashi-sempai managed to capture him easily. Hokage-sama be able to help Naruto, Hinata." Tenten was amazed at how much Neji was acting – and looking – like a big brother. She giggled to herself, but Neji didn't notice.

Hinata got up and looked around, searching for Kakashi. Upon seeing him, she jumped up and ran over to him. He turned away from Gai, Asuma, and Lee to face her.

"Kakashi-sensei, where is Naruto-kun?" Kakashi blinked once, then pointed to the large yellow sphere sitting next to Lee. Hinata looked at the sphere, then at Kakashi, then back to the sphere. Then she slowly walked up to it.

"You turned him into a ball?"

"Not just any ball," Kakashi replied, "A big yellow ball. He's quite bouncy now. Try throwing him off the cliff." Hinata squeaked at the idea.

"That's not funny Kakashi." Asuma shook his head at the silver haired jounin. "Don't listen to him Hinata. Naruto's just trapped inside the ball. We'll release the jutsu when we get him to Konoha so the Fifth can save him."

"Can the Hokage help him?" Asuma nodded. Hinata felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Neji again. He was smiling at her.

"We're going to wait here for a while for you to recover. Then we'll catch up with those four."

"Five, counting Naruto." Tenten corrected. 

Kakashi nodded. "We'll see you guys in the village later." Lee heaved the yellow globe onto his back, and the four of them jumped off the cliff, heading for Konoha.

Tenten sat down and motioned for Neji and Hinata to do the same. Neji did, but Hinata gazed after the ninjas as they left. Tenten followed her gaze, then said, "It's ok Hinata. You'll see him again soon." Hinata nodded and slowly sat down.

"So tell us: are you alright? You don't look like you've been hurt physically, but spending all this time with Naruto, it can't be good for your mental health." Tenten smiled.

Hinata nodded. "I'm alright. I'm just worried about Naruto. We should go after them right away." She started to get up.

"Calm down Hinata. You're not usually so impatient. You must have picked it up from Naruto." Hinata looked at her older cousin. "Just rest up a bit." Hinata stood up fully.

"You just woke me up, Neji-oni-chan. I'm rested enough." There was a level of bitterness in her voice that surprised both Neji and Tenten.

"Just wait a few minutes until you get a hold of yourself. Having just woken up, your body's probably not running at full capacity yet." Hinata sighed, then sat down without a word. Tenten went over to talk to her quietly. When Neji started to follow, Tenten said, "It's girl stuff." Neji shrugged and turned to look out towards Konoha. And Kakashi's team. _An interesting assignment you've given us, Kakashi-sempai, keeping Hinata away from Naruto. But I don't like lying to my own cousin. Why do you not want those two together?_

The Hokage's office

Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, twirling her thumbs. Ino and Chouji stood on the other side of the desk, and Shikamaru was sitting in a chair right in front of Tsunade's desk.

"You're out of the hospital quickly. By the time I heard you were conscious, you were already knocking at my door." Shikamaru nodded.

"I need to give you this information. I wasn't thinking right when I got here," Shikamaru sounded bitter when he mentioned this, "but now I can give you my whole story." Tsunade motioned for Shikamaru to continue.

"When Kyuubi Naruto hit me, I still had my jutsu activated. I used it to push myself away from him as he hit me, so the blow wasn't so bad. After that, I decided to pretend I was unconscious in order to not attract attention to myself.

"I saw Naruto attack the others one by one. Although I couldn't really see him move, I saw the others go down. First Kiba, then Sakura, the Kurenai. Then, he went to take out Hinata too. Naruto raised his fist, Hinata closed her eyes, and I thought for sure he was going to kill her right then and there. But he didn't"

"What did he do?" Tsunade asked.

"Nothing. He just stood their for the longest time with his fist raised. I could feel intense chakra emanating from him. The thirst for blood that had been in the air since he unleashed the Kyuubi began to waver, sometimes going out completely, but always coming back. Eventually, Hinata opened her eyes to see why she wasn't dead yet. And Naruto was just standing there, fist raised. His jaw was clenched hard, and he looked as though he was fighting an intense battle. Hinata stared at him for a moment, then grabbed him in a hug. She yelled out his name and began crying. Suddenly, the thirst to kill disappeared entirely. Naruto looked around, as though he had just come from someplace else and wasn't sure where he was, then looked down at Hinata and embraced her.

"After a few minutes, then broke apart and Naruto said something about survivors. They began searching the area, and that's probably when I snapped. I vaguely remember attacking him until he backed off, and left. Then I found the bodies of Kurenai, Kiba, and Sakura. They were all still alive, but they had taken massive injuries. I hid them in a cave and placed them all into a comatose state to prevent any further damage being done to their bodies. I set up a bunch of traps around the area, then tried to make it here as fast as I could. On my way, someone knocked me out from behind. When I woke up, I thought Naruto was attacking us, so when I saw Ino and Chouji I told them to run. You know what happened from there."

Tsunade nodded. She was slightly surprised that Shikamaru knew how to put someone into a comatose state, but decided that she should have come to expect random abilities from the 'Konoha Eleven' by now.

Suddenly Shizune burst into the office. "Hokage-sama, Shino just arrived at the hospital with Kiba, Sakura, and Kurenai."

Tsunade noticed Shikamaru breathe a sigh of relief. He's had a complex about losing anyone on a mission since his first assignment as Chuunin. Poor guy. "Okay people, this is almost over. Shizune, prepare medical surgery room 4. It's time to bring Naruto back."

Lee jumped from tree to tree, the huge orb on his back. He tried to handle it gently, but it was easy to forget that Naruto was inside. It never moved, and no sound came from it. It could have been just a large yellow ball for all Lee knew. But, if Gai-sensei said Naruto was in there, Naruto was in there. Kakashi, Gai and Asuma were traveling ahead of Lee, just out of earshot.

"Aw, the beauty of youth." Gai commented. Kakashi and Asuma ignored him. 

"I still don't understand why you brought along the rest of Team Gai." Said Asuma.

"Originally, they were supposed to search for everyone else while we dealt with Naruto. I wasn't sure if the technique Jiraiya gave me would work, but we would be able to keep Naruto busy long enough for them to grab the others and escape."

Asuma grimaced. "So we were just going to be a distraction?"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, "but that's not how it turned out. When I saw Naruto and Hinata there, I was obviously surprised. At first I thought that she had brought him to his senses, but after I heard his story I realized that wasn't true. Naruto probably would have come back to Konoha with us, sure, but Hinata wouldn't be able to be there when the Fifth preformed the technique. Naruto would've exploded on us. I knew that it would be better to take our chances out here then to bank on the hope that Jiraiya's technique worked in the middle of a populated city. If it failed out here, Naruto would get away. If it failed in Konoha, people would die."

"I didn't realize Naruto and Hinata were so close. When did that happen? He's never been dependent on her like this before."

"I don't know. Something remarkable must have happened between those two. But it made Naruto much stronger. Naruto was able to beat the Kyuubi with that strength."

Inside Naruto's mind

"Damn Kakashi-sensei! He tricked me. Now I don't even know what's going on around me. This sucks! Damn it!"

"Shut up, brat. You've been going on like that for days. Give it a rest already." 

"Stupid fox! It's been like ten minutes. Quit your whining!"

"My whining? You're the reason it feels like I've been stuck with you for a week."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Damn fox! This is all your fault anyways."

"Calm down kid. You beat me didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah I did. You're awfully calm about it."

"I'll tell you the truth kid. I like you. I've never felt an attachment to anything in this world before I was trapped inside your body. I like you and, by proxy, I like everything you like. But don't think for a minute that I wouldn't kill you all if I got the chance."

"Stupid fox. Why do you have to be like that? I've tried more than once to be your friend, why won't you let me?"

"Kid, you know how you're going to die? You won't be defeated by some master shinobi. You won't be caught in any lethal trap. You'll die of natural causes. Or rather, supernatural."

"What do you mean?"

"When you fought that bastard at the Valley at the End, you tapped into the second level of my strength. After a while, you lost the use of your left arm. When you are able to access my more powerful forms, it will take far more of a toll on your body. It will drain your life. One day, when you've used my power to much, you'll just keel over and die. That's why I won't be your friend."

"What if I don't use your powers?"

"That bastard won't hesitate to unleash his curse the next time you fight. If you do, he'll kill you."

"He didn't kill me last time."

"On a whim."

"You know what happened, don't you? I may have been unconscious, but you could still sense what was going on around me."

"…"

"So tell me why Sasuke didn't kill me!"

"Look, kid-"

"I'll tell you why. He couldn't do it! He's really a good person. And I'll bring him back and prove that to everyone!"

"Shut up you idiot! Did you forget the part where he left a fist-sized whole in your chest? If I hadn't been there, you would have died! And he didn't know I would save you. Like I already said, brat, he left you alive on a whim. You need me if you want to bring him back." 

"One day I'll be strong enough to not have to rely on you. I'll be able to do everything myself. I'll surpass all of the Hokages and everyone will acknowledge me!"

"Meh, maybe you will, brat. But until then, you need me. And although you've become strong enough to keep this cage closed, that's only on the inside."

"…"

"If you got out of me permanently, would you kill me and destroy the rest of Konoha?" 

"In a second."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"You said you like all the people and things I like. Then you understand how I beat you back into your cage."

"The Hinata girl."

"You weren't able to hurt her before, you'll never be able to hurt her."

"…"

"You say you tried to kill them all, but hesitated with Hinata. Because of how I feel, you can't hurt her either."

"Well then, maybe your right. But let's not dwell on it now, we might find out some day. For now, let's get you out of this ball."

"I'm not letting you out."

"Unfortunately, you won't have a choice. This thing lets just enough air in to keep you alive. You haven't noticed because we've been chatting, but you're going to pass out any minute now. No doubt when this spell was designed, they didn't realize that putting you to sleep would let me loose."

"No! Don't hurt my friends!"

"Don't worry kid, I have a feeling that this will be my last outing for a while, and a demon's intuition is never wrong. I better make it fun."

"Damn fox! Don't you dare!"

"See you later, brat."

Just outside of Konoha

Lee was in mid jump when the orb shook so violently that he missed his landing and crashed to the forest floor. The three Jounin doubled back to him.

"Lee, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"It's the orb, Kakashi-sensei. It just started shaking."

All four of them looked at the orb hard. It began shaking again. They all stood there, frozen in place, until a small crack appeared in the outside.

"Lee! Go and get Hinata, now! Bring the rest of your team as well!"

Lee was about to jump off when Gai added, "Lee, take off your weights, all of Konoha is in danger!" Lee pulled his weights off of his legs and jumped into the forest, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The orb was beginning to glow again, and the crack was widening. This isn't good! Kakashi thought. The orb shone brighter and brighter until all three shinobi were squinting at it, then it exploded. A shockwave of Chakra flew outwards in all directions, throwing the three jounin back hard. So much chakra was pumped into that thing, and even it couldn't hold Naruto in.

The orb had completely dispelled now, and Kyuubi Naruto was standing where it had been. His eyes were red with a cat's pupil, and red chakra eminated from him. The three ninjas jumped into action. They surrounded Naruto and came at him with weapons in hand. Kakashi attacked with his kunai, Asuma slashed with his trench knives, and Gai swung with his nun chuck. All three of them hit empty air.

Startled for a moment, they all looked around. Naruto suddenly jumped down from a tree and kicked Kakashi in the chest in one fluid motion. Kakashi went flying into the woods. Asuma lashed at him again at the same time Gai launched a kick, but Naruto dodged both easily. He punched Asuma in the face, sending him flying in the opposite direction from Kakashi. Gai swung with the nun chuck again, but Naruto grabbed it and swung it at the ground, taking Gai with it. 

Feeling a presence, Naruto turned to see Kakashi standing with his headband up and his sharringan eye open. Naruto jumped toward him and swung his fist, but Kakashi managed to duck. He tried to kick Naruto, but Naruto grabbed his leg and swung Kakashi into a tree. When he hit the tree, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, and another Kakashi kicked Naruto hard in the back.

Naruto went flying towards a huge tree, but managed to land on it sideways. He jumped off back towards Kakashi, leaving two small craters in the tree. Kakashi just stood there, but suddenly Gai and Asuma came from the sides with a huge net. Naruto grabbed the net and pulled Gai and Asuma towards him. Before they had time to let go, he had grabbed their vests and then he threw them both at Kakashi. Kakashi jumped over them and turned to see if they were still conscious. He was surprised to see Jiraiya catch both of them. Jiraiya set them down and looked them over quickly. Gai and Asuma were both bruised and breathing heavily. They both watched Jiraiya walk up to Kakashi, then all four turned to look at Kyuubi Naruto, who was hunched down on all fours, ready to attack again.

Jiraiya put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "I'll handle this Kakashi. You make sure those two don't die or anything."

Jiraiya turned around to face Naruto. "Well, there's a face I haven't seen in a long time." Kyuubi Naruto hissed at him. "It looks like you remember me too, eh, Kyuubi?"

"I'll kill you this time, frog summoner." Kyuubi Naruto growled.

Jiraiya smirked. "We'll see."

They both jumped off the ground, clashing at high speed in mid-air. Each one had caught the other's punch. The pushed each other away and fell to the ground. Naruto hit the ground running towards Jiraiya, and Jiraiya came at Naruto. Naruto slide-kicked at Jiraiya, who jumped over it easily. Naruto coiled his legs and launched himself at Jiraiya before he had time to land. He hit Jiraiya in the stomach with his shoulder, sending him flying into a tree. When the dust settled, though, there was only a stump lodged into a tree.

Jiraiya dropped onto Naruto from above, forcing him onto his stomach. Naruto shoved his arms into the ground, then flung them back at Jiraiya, holding massive clumps of earth. Jiraiya jumped up to avoid getting crushed, but the dust didn't settle quickly. Jiraiya looked around to try to spot Naruto, but couldn't see him. Suddenly he felt a fist hit his stomach, throwing him up into the air.

Kyuubi Naruto, glowing fiercely with red chakra, landed on the top of a tree. He watched with satisfaction as Jiraiya fell to the ground. Slowly, he got up. 

"What's the matter, Kyuubi?" Naruto glared at him. "Is that body your inhabiting slowing you down? You're not nearly as strong as you were thirteen years ago."

Kyuubi Naruto smiled a horribly wicked smile. "This body may be weak, but it has a few tricks in it." He held out his hand. Jiraiya could see the chakra flowing over it. Then he saw it begin to swirl together into a sphere.

"…Rasengan!" Jiraiya yelled, shocked, at the same time Naruto cried out, "Rasengan!" Then he flew at Jiraiya with inhuman speed. Jiraiya barely had time to jump to the side as Naruto flew by. Quickly he created his own Rasengan in his hand, and turned to face Naruto. They ran at each other, and threw their palms out.

In the resulting explosion, Kakashi, Asuma and Gai lost track off the two, though they could still hear the sounds of battle. When the smoke cleared, They were throwing punches at each other relentlessly, neither bothering to try to block or dodge. Finally Kyuubi Naruto stepped back, breathing hard.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Without even making any hand signs, 100 other Kyuubi Naruto's appeared, each glowing with their own demonic chakra. Each one held out a hand and created their own Rasengan.

"Shit!" Jiraiya cursed. Quickly he made a series of signs, and bit his thumb. 

"Oh no you don't!" yelled all the Naruto's as they rushed at Jiraiya, palms out. Jiraiya threw his hand to the ground and there was a huge blast of smoke. When it cleared, Gamabunta stood in the middle of the forest, on top of many Naruto's, which disappeared into smoke.

"Damn frog, get off of me!"

Both Jiraiya and Gamabunta looked down to see Kyuubi stuck under Ganabunta's foot, with his arms and head sticking out.

"What the hell is going on here, Jiraiya? Something isn't right about Naruto's chakra."

"You might recognize it from thirteen years ago."

"The Kyuubi! Well, it's been a while, I've got to admit. Sorry about not remembering you there."

"You'll regret mocking me, frog!" Naruto made the classic Shinobi seal and summoned his chakra. Suddenly it burst forth, taking the shape of a three tailed fox. Naruto pushed Gamabunta's foot off of his, then pulled out.

"I'll kill you both." Naruto said as he lunged at Jiraiya. Gamabunta caught him with his tongue, but quickly let go. "It feels like he's on fire!" Jiraiya dodged Naruto the first time, and the next few punches, but Naruto's new speed was incredible, and soon Jiraiya was forced to block a roundhouse kick. He could feel the demonic chakra burning his skin. He jumped back and made a series of hand signals, and his fist turned to ice. 

"Futile." Kyuubi Naruto spat out as he came at Jiraiya again. Naruto threw another punch at the same time Jiraiya did. Their fists met in mid-air, and held. Naruto's chakra dissipated down to just an after image, without any tails. Jiraiya's fist turned back to normal, and he fell backwards.

"Get him now." Jiraiya sighed. Naruto jumped off Gamabunta's head in an attempt to escape, but felt the toad's huge tongue wrap around him. "Damn frog!" 

"What did you do to him, Jiraiya?"

"That jutsu drain his chakra at an equal pace with mine. I'm all worn out now. He shouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer though." 

"Don't worry about that." Kakashi said. Behind him stood Neji, Lee, TenTen, and Hinata. "We've got this covered." 

Gamabunta dropped Naruto to the ground. "Good. I'll leave then. I was in the middle of supper. You guys have no consideration, damn it."

Jiraiya smiled. "I'll make it up to you later." Gamabunta didn't even bother to reply as he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Kyuubi Naruto looked around wildly until he spotted Hinata. "I guess this body just isn't strong enough. But…" Naruto jumped into the air. Somewhere in the back off it's head, the Kyuubi could hear Naruto yelling, 'NOOOOO!'

"Time to test that theory, kid. You better hope you're right." Naruto landed in front of Kakashi, and sent him flying to the side. Lee jumped at him and TenTen sent a barrage of shuriken and Kunai at him. Naruto kicked Lee into the ground, jumped over the weapons and landed on top of TenTen, throwing her to the ground hard. Then he turned to Neji.

"I won't let you hurt her, you bas-" He was cut short and Naruto kicked him in the chin, sending him flying into the air. Then he turned to Hinata. She was standing there calmly, waiting for him. Naruto ran up and threw out his fist at her.

And stopped. Hinata closed her eyes and smiled at him.

"I love you Naruto."

Slowly, she held out her hand and put in on his chest, above his heart. Naruto closed his eyes and the red chakra dissipated. When he opened his eyes again, they were a calm blue.

"Hinata… I love you so much."

They embraced, holding each other tightly, neither wanting to let go of the other ever again.

As Naruto and Hinata stood there, holding each other close, they eventually became aware that everyone was watching them. Hinata turned bright red and even Naruto went a little pink. Neji was looking at the two in shock, his finger pointed at them, frozen in the air. Tenten had her arms crossed and a small smile was playing across her lips. She looked very pleased. Gai and Lee were farther off, sobbing and mumbling about youth. Asuma stood with his hands in his pockets, watching with an eyebrow raised. Kakashi's eye was closed, showing that he was smiling. Jiraiya nudged Kakashi. 

"That's the Hinata girl?"

Kakashi nodded. "That's her."

"Why didn't you bring her along?"

"According to the story Naruto told me, protecting her was what brought out the Kyuubi while he was awake."

"But she's also the only thing that can calm him."

"That's true."

"Then why didn't you bring her along? We could have avoided this confrontation."

"Well I wasn't expecting your containment field to release the Kyuubi."

"Hmph. It didn't work? I don't know why."

"Probably because it put him to sleep."

"It was supposed to incapacitate him."

"The Kyuubi came out when he was asleep."

"How was I supposed to know that."

"Clearly, your reputation has been exaggerated."

"WHAT? Never! I am Jiraiya, the great toad hermit! I am one of the Sannin, the greatest trio of ninjas who ever lived!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kakashi walked over to Gai, and watched Lee and Tenten try to hold Neji back as he attempted to get his hands on Naruto, who was laughing hard. Hinata was watching with a worried look on her face.

"Ah, to be young again, eh Gai?" Gai looked at him in horror.

"Kakashi! Do not say such things! We are still in the springtime of our youth! You shouldn't be talking like an old man!"

Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, we're not kids anymore. Times like these are behind us."

"Never! Kakashi, you may be losing your youth, but I'm still as young as the day I became a Chuunin!"

"Yeah, because that's possible."

A shout from Jiraiya distracted them. "Hey, Naruto, get over here."

"Ero-sennin! You fought the Kyuubi! It was amazing!" Naruto grinned wide at him, blissfully unaware of Neji, who had almost thrown Tenten and Lee off by now.

"Naruto, When Shino told me about the Kyuubi having been released, I came to you straight away to put the five element seal back on, until we could find a more permanent solution."

"Eh?! Shino knew? When did you see him?"

Ignoring the boy, Jiraiya continued. "But now, I don't think that it's nessasary. Still, I want your opinion. Do you think you'll be able to hold in the Kyuubi?"

Naruto looked over at Hinata, who saw him and smiled shyly. Naruto smiled back and waved. "I'll be fine, Ero-sennin."

"Hey, stop calling me that in front of people already."

"No way, you're such a super pervert that even that closet pervert isn't-AAAAAARRRRRRG!" Naruto screamed as Neji jumped on top of him.

"Naruto! You will pay for your sins against Hinata!" But before Neji had time to punch Naruto in the face, Lee jumped at him, knocking him off. Tenten was grinning gleefully, and had her shoulder around Hinata, chatting to her as they watched her two team mates. Occasionally Hinata would chuckle or smile and say something back.

"We should get you to Tsunade soon, Naruto." Kakashi said as he came up.

"Nah," Naruto said, smiling evilly, "We have some spare time on our hands."

Hokage Tower

"Hokage-sama, Naruto just arrived here!"

Tsunade spun around. "What? Hurry, get him to surgery room 4, we've got no time."

Shizune glanced around quickly, suddenly awkward.

"What is it Shizune?"

"Well… He's already been to Ichiraku Ramen, and to his apartment, and over to the Hyuuga estate…"

"AND YOU'RE ONLY BRINGING HIM HERE NOW?!?"

"Actually, we didn't bring him, he just said he came to see you. He's waiting outside with Jiraiya-sama."

"He what!? Get that old pervert in here right now! Jiraiya! Get in here right now!"

Jiraiya stepped through the door, followed by Naruto. Both had sheepish grins on their faces that made Tsunade want to strangle them both at the same time.

"Hey, Granny Tsunade! Sorry about everything I did. I don't remember most of it, but-"

"SILENCE! You little brat, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? The whole village has been searching for you. A bunch of your friends are injured, and I have ANBU practically begging me for your head!"

Naruto fell silent, while Tsunade took a few deep breathes to try to calm herself. Jiraiya spoke up.

"Listen, Tsunade, I-"

"That's Tsunade-sama to you!"

"Tsunade-sama, er, I mean Hokage-sama. I've found out how to contain the Kyuubi, at least temporarily. I was really hoping that you had figured out some way to reinforce the seal."

"Well, while you two were off gallivanting around Konoha, I did in fact find a way to reinforce the seal. It will take some time though, so let's go down to the room right now to get it over with."

"Granny Tsunade?"

"What is it, brat?"

"You missed me, didn't you?"

Tsunade threw her desk at him. Without time to dodge, It hit him full in the face and knocked him to the ground.

"You're evil, Granny Tsunade." He said, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't worry," She said to him, "I'm taking you to the hospital anyways. Shizune!"

Shizune came in quickly. "Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Take Naruto and wait outside, I'll be there shortly to take him to the hospital."

Shizune nodded and lead Naruto out of the room, leaving Jiraiya and Tsunade alone. 

"You really did miss him, didn't you, Tsunade?"

She punched Jiraiya so hard he went flying out the window.

"And there's no way in hell that I'm taking you to the hospital!" She shouted out the window.

A Few Days Later

Hinata and Shino stood with Kiba, who was covered in bandages. They were waiting outside Ichiraku Ramen for the rest of their friends, and then they were going to have a party. Everyone had told Hinata that it was a party for Naruto getting back safely, but it was really a surprise party celebrating the fact that they were finally a couple. It had been Sakura's idea.

"Hey, hey, Hinata. You faint whenever you see Naruto in bandages, how come you seem fine when I'm all covered up with them?" Kiba asked.

Hinata stammered. "I-I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, I just, it's just that…"

Before she could continue he interrupted. "I'm just kidding Hinata, don't worry." She nodded.

"Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Hey guys!" 

The trio looked up at Tenten's voice and saw her, dragging Neji in one hand and being dragged in turn by Lee in the other, coming up to them.

"I can't wait for this to start! Parties like this are just another chance to show our youthfulness to the world!" Lee said, ecstatic.

"Yeah, and they're also just another chance for a whole new and bizarre set of challenges to be sent my way." Neji replied, sulking.

"So you'll accept!"

"No, no I won't."

"Come on Neji, lighten up! It'll be fun, I promise." Tenten said, tugging his arm.

"I could be training right now."

"Oh come on, get over yourself already Hyuuga." Kiba barked at him.

Neji glared at him. "I'll… stay. But only in case Lee gets drunk."

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, you just want to fight him when he's using Drunken Fist."

Lee whipped around. "WHAT?! Really? Neji-san, I challenge you to a drunken fight! A safe distance away from everyone!"

"Lee, do you ever not shout?" Neji asked.

"Of course he does. He never shouts at me." Tenten said, laughing.

"Hey everyone, it's Shikamaru! Hey there Shikamaru!" Kiba yelled.

Shikamaru, supported by two crutches, was walking with Ino and Chouji, from the opposite direction Tenten's group had come from. Chouji had a stereo under his arm.

"Hey, we're here too!" Ino yelled at Kiba. 

"This is troublesome. I should be lying in bed, not going to some party. Look at me, I'm injured."

"Oh, don't say that Shikamaru," Chouji replied, "There's going to be food. Ichiraku Ramen is the very best ramen."

"Besides," Ino sail happily, "I want you to dance with me."

There was a long period of awkward silence as everyone looked at Ino with surprise. She blushed.

"I didn't mean it like that, guys. Get off it. We're just friends." She said, punching Shikamaru in the shoulder.

"Wait a second, nobody told me there was going to be dancing at this thing. I was under the impression we were just going to eat and drink and talk and then leave." Neji said. 

"What's the matter, Hyuuga? I know it's not a clan rule that you can't dance, because I've seen Hinata dance loads of times." Kiba said, smirking.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not that! I just, it doesn't…"

"What? Neji-san at a loss for words?" Lee looked shocked. "Are you all right, Neji-san?"

"I'm fine!"

"Neji," Tenten was trying hard not to smile, "You don't know how to dance, do you?"

"It's not something a ninja needs to know. I never needed to learn, so I never have."

Kiba laughed. "Ha! Don't worry. Me and Lee here can show you how it's done!"

Lee clenched his fist in the air. "I will not let you down, Neji-san!"

"I'd really rather not do that." Neji replied.

"Ah, come on." Kiba countered. "We'll teach Shino at the same time as you, so you won't be learning by yourself."

"That won't be necessary, Kiba-san." Shino said, suddenly breaking his silence. "I am quite capable of dancing without your help. I have been instructed in the exercise."

Everyone looked at him, wondering.

"It's true." Hinata agreed, nodding her head. "Shino actually helped me learn how to dance."

Everyone was silent. They were all staring at Shino in amazment, except Hinata, who was trying to hide a grin. Then, from a fair distance, they heard a voice. Naruto's voice.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, aren't we going to Ichiraku Ramen? Ouch!"

"Stop asking questions you idiot!"

"Hiiiide!" Kiba hissed in a loud whisper. Eight ninjas disappeared. Shikamaru just yawned and slowly made his way into an alley where Chouji, Kiba, and Tenten were already waiting.

"Could you go much slower?" Kiba asked.

"Don't tempt me." Shikamaru replied.

Naruto's voice rang out again. "Sakura-chan, if you're taking me out to dinner, you should know that I'm kind of with Hinata right now, so-"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up? Stop being an idiot, I'm not talking you out to dinner."

Beside him, Neji noticed Hinata blushing furiously. _Heh, she thinks this is a surprise party for Naruto. She's going to be surprised as well!_ Which was, of course, the real reason Neji had come. He also planned to beat some sense into Naruto, or, failing that, at least threaten him a little.

Finally Naruto and Sakura turned the corner. "Hey! We were _so_ coming to Ichiraku Ramen! I knew it!"

"Shut up idiot!" Sakura shoved Naruto forward into the middle of the street, in front of Ichiraku Ramen. Immediately after, Ino shoved Hinata out towards him. Just as she tripped and began to fall, Naruto caught her in his arms. Before either of them could say 'Huh?', Everyone jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!"

Tenten had a camera suddenly and took a picture of the two together. Ino and Sakura ran over to Tenten to see the picture she had taken. Kiba was yelling about how Naruto had completely fallen into their plan. Lee was jumping around with tears in his eyes telling Naruto and Hinata that they were the very picture of youth. Chouji was clapping loudly and asking Kiba when they were going to eat. Shikamaru hobbled out and told Naruto that hooking up with a girl was a big mistake, then had to try and dodge Ino and Sakura as they threw punches at him. Neji was talking quietly with the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. Shino was backed off, watching the others. Naruto and Hinata stood there for a moment, taking it all in. Then Naruto smiled.

"I hope you guys are planning to treat me and Hinata to free ramen!"

"Don't worry," Neji said, turning around, "It's all been taken care of."

"Why Neji, that was unexpectedly nice of you." Kiba said, helping up a now even more injured Shikamaru.

Neji smirked. "I told the owner to charge our whole meal to the Hyuuga family. Hiashi will have a fit."

"Neji, you sneaky bastard." Kiba smiled too. 

Naruto felt a tug on his arm, and turned back to Hinata. He looked into her pale eyes, and suddenly everything else seemed to fade away. The shouting, the laughing, the fighting, all of it was drowned out.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

"P-Please, promise me that you… you won't ever t-try to… to run away again."

"I promise, Hinata. Now promise me you will learn to not stutter all the time." Hinata smiled.

_Click._ Tenten was standing just two feet away and had her camera up to her eye. She smiled wide. "She doesn't stutter all the time, only around you. Just give it some time. People don't change overnight. Anyway, that was a good one."

"Make sure to send me a copy, okay?" Naruto asked. Tenten nodded, then turned as Chouji shouted. "Hey guys, there's food! There's so much food! It's _beautiful!_"

Sakura walked up to Shikamaru. "Is he actually crying?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Probably."

They all ate ramen until the store ran out of dough to make the noodles. Then they turned on the music and danced well into the night. Naruto danced with Hinata, and later with Sakura. Tenten tried to teach Neji how to dance, but gave up when he kept glaring at Naruto and tripping on his feet. Ino sort of got her dance with Shikamaru, but he quit halfway through because it was just to awkward with the crutches. Later she danced with Chouji. Hinata danced with Kiba and then Shino, just so everyone could see that he really could dance. After they saw how well he did, Ino, Tenten, and Sakura all asked him to dance, and he politely accepted each offer and danced with each of them. Kiba laughed and called Shino a ladies' man.

Well after midnight, the party finally disbanded, and Naruto walked Hinata home. When they got to the Hyuuga Estate, Naruto softly kissed Hinata on the forehead and bid her good night, Hinata blushed furiously, and, barely able to walk, made her way into the house and into her room. She looked forward to tomorrow, the thought of spending the day with Naruto, and all the tomorrows after that she would have with him.

Naruto went home and got ready for bed. He looked in the mirror and whispered to himself, "Tomorrow I will kiss her for real. On the lips. I promise." After that he went to bed and quickly fell asleep, dreaming of tomorrow.

**OWARI!!**


End file.
